Seven
by I am Lu
Summary: It took seven kisses for May and Drew to finally admit they were in love with each other. Contestshipping.
1. The Kiss That Started It All

**One.** The Kiss That Started It All.

May couldn't sleep.

Tomorrow was the day of the Ecruteak Contest and she _had_ to win it. She was already slightly behind on ribbons at three, and there weren't too many contests left to compete in before the Johto Grand Festival. She'd recently returned from Sinnoh, where she had entered the Wallace Cup with the hope of obtaining the Aqua Ribbon and catching up, but her close friend Dawn had bested her in the final round.

She had spent the evening running possible strategies and combinations through her head, wanting desperately to perform to the best of her abilities in tomorrow's contest and earn herself that fourth ribbon. She had even already decided which Pokémon she was going to use: Blaziken for her appeal, Glaceon for her battles. May knew, however, she wouldn't be able to put on a good show tomorrow if she was tired.

Frustrated, May threw the sheets off of her and sat up, rubbing her eyes. It wasn't doing her any good to be sitting wide-awake in bed, so she thought she might as well head downstairs and warm herself by the fireplace in the Pokémon Center's lobby. Perhaps there would even be some milk in the cafeteria that she could heat up and drink. She'd heard warm milk was supposed to make you sleepy.

May ran her fingers through her hair before slipping out the door of her room and trotting down the stairs. Once on the first floor, she was surprised to see she wasn't alone in the lobby; someone else was hanging out near the fireplace. Upon closer examination, May realized this person was her long-time rival, Drew Hayden.

"Drew?" she inquired in surprise. She almost immediately regretted speaking up after a further moment's thought; she was still in her pajamas, her hair was an absolute mess, and she probably had horribly dark circles under her eyes from lack of sleep. She was practically _asking_ to be teased. The male coordinator turned his head to look at her.

"Well, hello, May," he said with a smirk.

"What are you doing down here?" May asked.

"I suppose I could ask you the same question."

May folded her arms and shifted her weight to her left hip before saying, "I asked first, so you answer first." Drew shrugged.

"What? Can't I enjoy the fire?" he replied with a grand gesture toward the flickering flames.

"At midnight?"

"Whoops, sorry, you've already used your question of the day. Try again later." May rolled her eyes, but nevertheless meandered to the front of the sofa and plopped down next to her rival.

"What about you?" he asked after she joined him.

"Hm?" she intoned.

"Why are you up?"

"Oh! Um... can't sleep," May replied, though there was slight hesitation in her voice. Drew smirked again and flicked his hair.

"Nervous about tomorrow's contest?"

"_No._"

"I would be if I were you, since you might end up facing me." May huffed.

"I presume that means you're entering, too?"

"Obviously. I'm looking to complete my collection of Johto ribbons," he replied haughtily. May's face fell; so that meant he was gunning for his fifth ribbon, which would gain him entry into the Grand Festival. Her fists clenched, feeling a sort of jealousy bubble under her skin. She hated how Drew always managed to be at least one step ahead of her.

"And how far behind are you?" Drew asked, feigning a cordial tone.

"I'm not _that_ far behind," May retorted.

"Thus the appropriate question, how far behind are you?" May's lips tightened.

"After I _win_ tomorrow's contest, I'll have four ribbons," she said curtly. Drew paused, straightening up slightly.

"Huh," he said after a long moment. May raised an eyebrow.

"What?" she asked.

"It's just, you're not as far behind as I thought you'd be," Drew began, folding his arms, "considering that you were desperate enough to travel all the way to Sinnoh to compete in the Wallace Cup. I was under the impression you only had two ribbons, or less." May shot him a rather peevish look.

"I- wait, how do you know I competed in the Wallace Cup?" she asked, tilting her head. Drew mentally stumbled, and it showed. May couldn't resist a smile; for once, the ball was actually in _his_ court rather than hers.

"It's..." he began, racking his brain for the best excuse, "... It's a famous competition, of course. I watched it and you just happened to show up in the appeals round." That was a lie, and they both knew it. She wasn't exactly sure how he figured out that she had entered the contest, but she could tell from the way he reacted that he had purposely tuned in to watch her compete. Still, she had to give him some credit: that was a pretty smooth recovery. Even so, May was touched that he apparently cared enough to check out her performance. It meant that he still, to some degree, viewed her as a worthy rival whom he needed to keep tabs on.

"So..." she drawled. "How do you think I did?"

"Well, you lost."

"I meant aside from that." Drew's expression visibly softened in the dim lighting, which May knew meant his next statement was going to be sincere, rather than dipped in his usual sarcasm.

"You were pretty good," he said frankly. "Your appeal with Wartortle was spot-on. And I noticed that you evolved your Eevee into Glaceon. He was excellent in the final battle round, it's a shame you lost. I think you've raised him very well. Will you be using him in tomorrow's contest?"

"That's for me to know, and for you to find out," May replied, though she was having trouble concealing her elation. Drew had just paid her and her Pokémon very high compliments, which was a rarity in their relationship. Drew then looked at her and smiled—not smirked, but genuinely smiled, which was an even greater rarity. May's breath temporarily hitched in her throat.

"I look forward to it."

Silence fell, and all that could be heard was the crackle of the dying fire in front of them. May wasn't sure what came over her; maybe it was the ambient, intimate atmosphere the fireplace had created or the way his stunning green eyes were looking into hers, but five seconds of vulnerability and stupidity were all it took for her to make the dumbest (or perhaps the best) decision of her life. She dipped her head slightly beneath his chin before coming up and introducing her lips to his.

_Hello there, Drew's lips. I'm May's lips. It's nice to meet you. Gosh, you taste delicious. I have a feeling you and I are going to get along just dandy. Wait. Oh-_

May knew she'd made a terrible mistake the moment it happened. Reality, however, became fuzzy when he actually _kissed_ her back. For a couple of brief seconds, she was able to enjoy the warmth that simmered at the bottom of her belly, as well as the comfortable, fleshy feel of his mouth against hers. Once those few seconds were up, however, life hit her with a cold slap in the face.

"Oh _Arceus_," she suddenly gasped, jerking away from him. She was blushing furiously, and even he seemed a little flustered. May stood up and backed away, accidentally bumping into the coffee table as she did.

"I-I'm so sorry, I..." she stammered, trying to find the right words, "I don't know ... why I..." She turned away from him rigidly, planning to head straight back up stairs and wallow in her humiliation alone in her room. Before she could, however, Drew stopped her.

"May, wait." The female coordinator stopped and mechanically turned to face him again, her eyes wide. He reached into his bag and pulled out a small medicinal bottle of some sort. He then slowly rose to his feet and approached her. May swallowed nervously, unsure of what he was doing. He grabbed her wrist and placed the bottle in the palm of her hand.

"Take this," he said, firmly closing her fingers around the cylindrical object. "It's Butterfree Sleep Powder. Sprinkle a little bit into a glass of water and you'll sleep just fine." May seemed to relax, even if just a little bit.

"Thank you," she said. Drew nodded, dropping her hand.

"Good luck in tomorrow's contest. You'll need it." Adjusting his bag over his left shoulder, he then headed up the stairs to his own bedroom. May lingered where he had left her for a bit longer, stuck in a sort of shock.

She shook her head. She wasn't sure any amount of Sleep Powder would help her find rest after tonight's events.

_A/N: Expect the next chapter next Wednesday and (hopefully) weekly updates from then on! Reviews are, as always, greatly appreciated._


	2. The Kiss That Interrupted The Argument

**Two.** The Kiss That Interrupted The Argument.

"Oh, Glaceon, you were wonderful!" May exclaimed happily, hugging the ice-type for the umpteenth time since they had won the Ecruteak Contest. Even though the contest had ended long ago and she had already been presented with her ribbon, she was still hanging around backstage in the coordinator's lounge, packing up her things. She would have been ready to go earlier, but she was so incredibly thrilled that she had actually managed to _beat_ Drew for the first time since last year's Kanto Grand Festival that she kept getting distracted with things such as squeezing her poor Pokémon to death.

"Glace!" replied the Eevee evolution, licking his trainer on the cheek. May laughed as he did, appreciative of the affectionate gesture. The moment was so light, so totally and utterly blissful, May couldn't remember a time when she was more happy than right then. Nothing could ruin it, nothing except perhaps-

"Hi, May."

That.

May froze and rigidly turned to face her rival. Although they had met on the battlefield earlier that day, May had taken special care to avoid him on personal terms all morning. The fact she had mistakenly kissed him late yesterday evening had been lingering at the back of her mind all day, and she really didn't want to deal with the teasing or awkwardness or even rejection (not that she actually cared whether he rejected her or not) that could potentially arise out of her bone-headed move.

"Hey," she replied amiably.

"I was waiting for you outside the contest hall, but you were taking like an hour so I decided to come looking for you," Drew said.

"Sorry," May apologized, though she sounded a little indignant, "Glaceon and I were just reveling in the moment."

"I can see that," Drew commented, flicking his hair. "Anyway, I just came to congratulate you on your win. As much as I _hate_ to admit it, Masquerain and I were no match for you and Glaceon today. We have a lot of training ahead of us." May shrugged.

"Last night probably threw you off your game." There was never another moment in her life May wanted to slap herself in the face as much as she did then. Why in the world was she bringing it up, much less making a joke about it? She wanted to _avoid_ this discussion, not plunge head-first into it. Drew seemed completely unfazed, however.

"Probably," he admitted. May looked surprised by this confession, since he actually sounded serious. She shuffled her feet and sat down on a nearby bench with an uncomfortable expression painted on her face, but didn't reply. Cue the awkwardness.

Drew stood by for a long moment before finally asking, "Would you like to get some coffee?" May's head snapped up.

"W-What?" she stammered.

"Coffee. Do you want some?" Drew repeated, mapping it out in the simplest terms possible. May swallowed nervously. Was he asking her out on ... a date?

"Oh, um ... I don't know," she hesitated.

"One cup," he persisted. "What's the worst that could happen?"

They could talk about what happened last night, and she could die from embarrassment and humiliation. She could accidentally spill hot coffee on herself and burn her thighs. He could say something that would break her heart and send her spiraling into a week-long depression. She could make an even bigger fool out of herself and tell him she loved him, even though she clearly didn't. There were a million things that could go wrong, which is why she didn't understand why she agreed to go.

"Fine," she conceded before returning Glaceon to his Pokéball. Drew smirked.

"Good," he said.

* * *

"Ugh," May groaned, making a face. Drew lowered his steaming cup of coffee from his lips with an eyebrow raised.

"What?" he asked. May shook her head.

"I don't know how you stand it," she explained. "Black, no sugar, no cream? Wouldn't that make it incredibly bitter?" Drew shrugged.

"It's an acquired taste," he replied.

"No, caviar is an acquired taste," May refuted. "Straight black is just torture to your taste buds." This elicited a half-hearted chuckle out of the male coordinator.

"Do you want to try some?" he asked, offering her his cup. May smiled crookedly and gently pushed it back toward him.

"No thanks, I think I'll stick to my Caramel Macchiato," she refused politely. The conversation between them thus far had been surprisingly friendly, save a couple of sarcastic remarks on Drew's part, but that was to be expected. May was still worried though; she wasn't quite sure why Drew had invited her here. Was it just to clear the air after today's battle? or was it his way of expressing romantic interest in her after last night? She sincerely hoped it was the former, because she wasn't sure she could deal with the latter.

"Suit yourself," Drew said, taking another tepid sip of his drink. May frowned and set her own beverage aside. She _really_ didn't want to do this, but she felt like she had to make things absolutely clear to him.

"Drew..." she began tentatively, "... about last night-"

"-What about it?" he cut in. May took in a deep breath.

"I was really tired and I had no idea what I was doing," she explained shortly. "It was a really, really dumb thing of me to do."

"Hm," he intoned. "Don't feel bad. You're not the first girl to fall for my irresistible charms." May's eyes twitched, feeling a sense of irritation spark her humor.

"I didn't fall for _any_ charms" she retorted.

"I think you did," Drew said coolly. "Don't give me that look. You're the one who kissed me."

"Y-You," May stammered angrily. "Well, you kissed me back!" Drew flinched slightly, but he made a quick recovery.

"I think that's hardly relevant," he said, his voice even.

"Of course it's relevant!" she argued back. "It means you feel the same-" May stopped short, inhaling sharply. She was about finish that statement with, "-way I do," but that didn't make sense. She didn't feel _anything_ toward him, except maybe frustration. All different kinds of frustration.

"Feel the same-?" Drew prompted. May shook her head.

"Nothing. Nevermind," she replied. "My point is, what happened yesterday didn't mean anything and I think we should just for- Mmm!"

May's words were abruptly interrupted with a pair of lips on hers. Drew, she realized, had leaned across the table and straight-up kissed her. If she had not been so utterly confused and upset about the fact her body was deliberately disobeying her brain by reciprocating, she might have actually been able to appreciate the clichéd romance of the moment. They were in a cafe, late at night when there weren't many people there to see them; it was just the two of them, alone at a table, with coffee that was starting to go cold ... She should have expected this sort of thing to happen.

Except, she didn't. Because he was her rival, and they were supposed to hate each other. Well, they didn't exactly hate each other, either. They were, more or less, friends. Friends who bickered an awful lot and apparently were really into kissing each other. The first time had definitely been a stupid mistake on her part, but this... well, he started it, and it seemed sincere. The sincerity of it, in fact, had May's heart racing in a way it never had before: if Drew was really being genuine here, then did that mean ... ?

May broke the kiss, looking down as to avoid the gaze of his emerald green eyes, lest she be tempted to kiss him again. Her and Drew's forehead were still brushed up against each other, and she could feel his warm breath tickling the tip of her nose. After a few seconds, she gave in and made eye contact again; the edges around his irises were softened, and he was looking at her in a way she never thought possible.

"W-what was that for?" she asked in a half-whisper after a long moment. She found that she was having to literally restrain herself from kissing him again, which she didn't understand at all. She didn't know how to explain it: she didn't want to, but at the same time, she _really_ wanted to. He smirked.

"Frankly," he began, leaning back in his chair and away from her, "to get you to shut up."

May's face turned beet red from both embarrassment and furor. She snatched her bag up and stood up abruptly, sliding her chair loudly against the floor as she did. She then dug around in her bag and pulled out the Butterfree Sleep Powder he'd given her the previous evening and a couple of extra dollars to tip the waitress, slamming them both on the table.

"Here you go," she said bitterly. "Thanks for the coffee." Her anger was further incited when he smirked again and let out a short chuckle; honestly, she thought, did he think she was some sort of game to him? May pivoted on her heel, prepared to make her exit. But, as Drew had done the night before, he stopped her.

"Hey May," he said. May wasn't sure why she even made the effort to turn around and face him again, but she did.

"What?" she asked.

"See you in the Mahogany Town Contest?" He was now smiling, which seemed to disarm May's frustration. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she realized with chagrin that he was right and that his "irresistible charms" did, in fact, have an effect on her, if only because of his winsome smile and really pretty green eyes that had almost lured her into kissing him a third time. (What a disaster that would have been, not that this whole ... situation wasn't already). She hesitated before saying:

"Yeah. You will."

_A/N: I apologize for the brevity of the last two chapters. I normally turn out a little more material than this, but next week's chapter is set at about twice the length of one and two combined. Until then!_


	3. The Kiss That Saved May's Life

**Three.** The Kiss That Saved May's Life.

May _hated_ the cold. Therefore, she was in a terrible mood.

While the Johto region was considerably temperate all-year round, the one area that grew truly cold during the winter months was that of Mahogany Town. May was headed there for the contest that would take place in less than a week with the high hope of beating Drew (again) and obtaining her last ribbon.

The trees rustled as a chilled breeze whistled through their branches. May shivered, miserable; she had to constantly remind herself that there were only two or three miles left until she could rest in front of the Pokémon Center's nice, warm fireplace for the evening. She would then start practicing for the contest in the morning. The trainer smiled a bit as she silently concocted her plans for the evening, which were, in her opinion, utterly perfect. Specifically the part about the fireplace. Yes, that sounded quite nice, she thought; especially if it included hot chocolate and her cuddly Skitty resting on her lap.

Glaceon trotted alongside May as she daydreamed, and was obviously enjoying the present frosty air a lot more than his trainer was. May had called him out for solely that purpose; she knew he would love the winter scene, and being in the company of a happy Pokémon never failed to lift her spirits. Suddenly, however, Glaceon caught sight of a little Rattata scampering across an open, frozen field in the distance. Out of pure instinct, the ice-type took off running to snag it for dinner.

"Hey Glaceon, wait up!" May cried out as he sprinted ahead. As she tried to catch up with him, however, she heard the ground hiss beneath her feet. May skidded to a stop, her feet slipping and sliding slightly as she did. Her blood ran cold as she took a moment to examine her surroundings. She realized with great distress that Glaceon had unwittingly led them toward the middle of a frozen lake in late March, _when the ice was melting_.

"_Glaceon_," May hissed angrily. "Get back here_ right now_."

Either the ice-type didn't hear her, or was pretending not to. Although he apparently had lost sight of the Rattata, he continued sauntering along happily, as if his trainer wasn't even there. May furrowed her eyebrows, upset; she retrieved Glaceon's Pokéball from her bag and tried to call him back into safety, but he was too far away. May bit her lip and tried yelling out one more time. Again, Glaceon did not hear her.

May sucked in her breath. She rationalized that the only way she could retrieve her wayward Pokémon was if she went after him. Thus, she cautiously took a step forward; the frozen water groaned again. May shook off her fears however, knowing she couldn't back down. She continued venturing forward, silently thinking of how serious a chastisement she would have to give Glaceon for putting them in this situation.

* * *

It just so happened that day that Drew was traveling along the same route as May, albeit he was a little further ahead than she. He was also headed toward Mahogany Town and was, of course, as determined as his rival to win his fifth ribbon. His travels were abruptly interrupted, though, when he heard a rather unusual cry in the same vicinity:

"Glaceon!"

"Hm?" Drew turned his head to see a small Glaceon frantically running toward him. He raised his brow, puzzled; Glaceon were extremely uncommon to find in the wild, especially in Johto. He quickly realized, however, that he recognized this particular Pokémon from the Ecruteak contest last month.

"You're May's Glaceon, aren't you?" he inquired, bending down to pat the ice-type on the head as it approached him. He glanced up, expecting to see the girl trainer in tow. He knew he would run into her at some point near or at Mahogany Town since she'd promised a couple of weeks earlier that she'd also be there to compete. Yet, as hard as he tried to spot her, he saw no one.

The Glaceon mewled loudly and tugged on the young male coordinator's sleeve. The Pokémon's pupils were abnormally wide—a sign of fear within the species, Drew noted. A red flag went up in his mind; obviously, something was not right.

"Glaceon, where's your trainer?" he asked, sounding a little urgent. He didn't _want_ to think anything bad had happened, but he was sure this was May's Glaceon, and he knew she wouldn't have just let him roam freely (at least, not without giving chase). Glaceon bit his hand, gently, and tugged on his sleeve again. Drew knew then with definite assurity that the Glaceon was trying to communicate that May was in danger.

"Take me to her," he ordered suddenly, standing up. The ice-type tore away from him and dashed back toward the direction from whence he came. Drew anxiously and quickly followed. The Glaceon led the coordinator to a large clearing, but came to a sudden halt. Drew stopped just behind him, confused; that is, until he realized they were actually standing right in front of a frozen body of water. Not too far of in the distance, he could see there was a break in the ice, just big enough someone to fall into. That break, however, had already been glazed over with a thin sheet of ice.

Fearing the worst, Drew swiftly retrieved a Pokéball from his waist.

"Absol, use Iron Tail on the ice!" he ordered as he called out the dark type. Absol, sensing the dire tone of his trainer's voice, promptly obeyed Drew's command, and broke through the layer of ice easily with only one hit. She, apparently having seen something (or someone), then dove into the cold, open lake. Mere seconds later, Absol rose back out of the freezing water with a girl draped limply over her back. Drew immediately recognized the passenger whom Absol carried.

"May!" His emotions were a mix of fury and terror. Fury, because he was so Arceus-damned mad at her for being such an idiot and apparently venturing out onto the melting lake. He was terrified also, because of the fact she was, from what he could see, completely motionless. He had no idea how long she had been underwater, but any time spent there was a moment too long.

Drew scrambled over to his Absol, carefully hoisting his rival off of the Pokémon and laying her on safe, stable ground. It took only one look at May to know she wasn't breathing; her skin had a ghostly pallor and was cold to the touch, and her naturally pink lips were unnaturally blue. Drew moved two fingers to her tender neck and checked for a pulse. His stomach clinched with horror when he felt nothing.

From that point on, he had no hesitation. He lifted her chin, opened her mouth, pinched her nose, and began to perform CPR. Two rescue breaths, he remembered, and then 30 chest compressions. He moved away from her mouth and, with one hand over the other, interlocked his fingers and fitted them squarely between her breasts—he would be embarrassed about it later—and pressed down against her ribcage. _Hard_. After the required 30 repetitions, he moved to her mouth again. During this time, Drew was barely cognizant of the fact both Absol and Glaceon had disappeared, probably off to get help.

About halfway through the second round of chest compressions, May sputtered. She opened her eyes, which were a dull, steely blue, and inhaled sharply, though her first breath was raspy and her lungs sounded like they still had water in them. Drew immediately backed off, immensely relieved, and let her cough. After her airway was clear, she tried to sit up, but as she did, an intense pain shot through her chest and her head felt dizzy. She quickly dropped back down to the frosty grass, her head rolling slightly to the left.

Having observed the scene, Drew moved back toward her to see if she was OK—she was. Her lips had lost their blue hue, and were instead turning purple. A red dash of color had returned to her cheeks, but her overall appearance was still rather pale. Drew didn't know the exact temperature off the top of his head, but it was definitely below 0°C and she was soaked to the bone.

Drew hovered over her as he had before and brushed a cold, wet clump of hair out of her face. Her eyes fixated on him, though she remained expressionless.

"Arceus, May." His breath felt wonderfully warm against her damp skin. "You scared me _so_ much."

His words sounded like a jumbled mass to her. She wanted to ask him to repeat what he just said, but couldn't seem to find the words to form a coherent sentence. It was like everything she wanted to say was stuck at the tip of her tongue, unable to push past the edge of her teeth. Even after a long moment, May could only manage to mumble something unintelligible in response. Drew's eyes widened slightly; he realized she must have hit her head against something beneath the water.

May tried to speak again, but this time, Drew hushed her.

"We need to get you to a hospital," he said suddenly, helping her to sit up again. May's vision temporarily blurred as he did, and she whimpered in discomfort. Her hand moved to her upper chest; every time she shifted or moved, even in the slightest, an intense pain would stab at her _right there_. It was disorienting, and it certainly didn't help that her head was pounding or that everything around her was now spinning. Her eyes began to droop, and the last thing she remembered before she passed out was Drew calling out his Flygon.

* * *

The florescent lights above were blinding when May finally came around. For a fleeting moment, she wondered if she was dead, considering how bright and dream-like her immediate environment seemed. Reality, however, quickly came crashing down on her; there was a dull pain throbbing at the back of her head, and her throat was burning. Although the intensity of pain in her chest had subsided, she knew there was definitely something wrong with it.

She blinked multiple times, trying to clear the sleep from her eyes. She didn't dare try to sit up again, thinking that doing so would only hurt her chest even further.

"And so she awakens," said a familiar voice from her right side. May lolled her head in that direction and immediately smiled.

"Solidad," she regarded cheerfully. Her voice was weak and chalky. The pink-haired woman smiled back; her light blue eyes were soft and warm around the edges.

"How are you feeling?" Solidad asked. May shrugged.

"I've felt better, but I'm doing OK," she admitted. May paused before asking, "What happened?" Solidad was silent for a brief moment, contemplating the best way to answer that question.

"Well ... Drew was the one who found you under the ice. He sent in Absol after you and when she dragged you out, he noticed you weren't breathing. After he resuscitated you, he brought you here," she explained with a certain degree of solemness in her voice. "Before that, however ... only you can know. The doctor expected you wouldn't remember, at least, not right away; you have a minor concussion." She paused. "Do you remember what happened, May?"

For whatever reason, that question triggered May's memory. Her pupils rapidly contracted as her frightening recollection of events under the water came flooding in. The helplessness she felt when the ice cracked and she slipped through, the pungent sting of the freezing abyss, the violent throw of her head against a broken chunk of ice, the burn of the water filling her lungs, the absolute terror of not knowing which way was up... These memories sealed themselves permanently in her mind. She gasped in horror.

"Glaceon!" she cried suddenly. She sat up, ignoring the pain in her chest. "Where is he? Is he alright?" Before she could dissolve into a full-blown panic attack, Solidad placed a hand on her shoulder to ease her.

"It's alright; he's fine," she said quickly. "I think he's with Drew right now." May sighed in relief. Then, a thought occurred to her.

"Oh, speaking of Drew..." she began tentatively, "... Where is he? Did he leave?"

"He went to go get some food in the cafeteria, I'm sure," Solidad said. "He hasn't eaten all day. You've had him worried sick, and I think he's been feeling pretty guilty, too. You were out for almost 10 hours." May's head perked up.

"Guilty? About what?" she inquired.

"The doctor said one of your ribs cracked while he was performing CPR," Solidad explained. May's cheeks flushed pink and she pursed her lips. A cracked rib? At least that explained the pain she had been experiencing.

"He won't admit it, but I can tell it bothers him a lot," Solidad continued. "The doctor told him it's fairly common for a rib or two to be broken, but Drew never listens, of course."

May blinked in surprise upon hearing Solidad divulge this information. From the way she worded it, Solidad made it sound like Drew actually cared about her—his rival, of all people! After a moment's reflection, however, May realized she already knew she and Drew had a complicated relationship, to say the least; they had, since practically day one, teetered somewhere between being on good terms to being bitter enemies. There was also that annoying fact that they had actually kissed each other twice, but she preferred not to dwell on that detail for too long. Doing so only gave her a headache, and she already had one of those.

"He shouldn't feel bad, though," May replied. Her bottom lip quivered slightly before she added, "I mean, he obviously saved my life." Solidad smiled.

"He would probably feel a lot better if you told him that yourself." She stood up as she said this and moved toward a small table, which hosted a pitcher of water and a stack of paper cups. "Thirsty?" Solidad inquired, pouring herself a cup. May remembered the dryness of her throat.

"Yes, actually," she said. Solidad prepared a second cup and promptly gave it to May, who gratefully muttered a "thank you" in response.

"By the way, I called your parents," Solidad said after she took a sip of her water. "They're on their way to see you. It will take them a few days to get here, but they're glad you're alive. I think your brother is coming, too." May didn't say anything, but she was happy to hear her family was coming. She was thankful Solidad was there, certainly. But she couldn't really cry and hug Solidad like she could her own mother and, even though May was keeping a tough front, she was really shaken. She had been _that_ close to death. If Drew hadn't been there...

May shook her head. She didn't want to think about it.

"Oh, Solidad," May said suddenly, looking at the woman inquisitively. "I meant to ask: What are you doing here in... ?" May stopped, realizing she actually had no idea where they were.

"Mahogany Town?" Solidad finished for her. "I came to see you and Drew compete in the contest. I was staying in the Pokémon Center when I caught wind that a coordinator had nearly drowned just outside of town. When I heard your name, I came here and ran into Drew." May's face suddenly fell.

"Oh. The contest," she commented, thoroughly disappointed. May might have been an idealist, but she wasn't stupid. There was absolutely no way she would be cleared in time to enter; and even if she were, there was no way her parents (especially with their being on her way to the Johto region) would even consider letting her compete. Solidad offered the young teen a sympathetic smile.

"Don't look so upset; this isn't your last chance to get your fifth ribbon. There will be another contest at Maroon City, just beyond Mahogany Town, in several of weeks." May livened up at that.

"Right," she replied. "I just always hate the pressure of competing to earn my last ribbon right before the Grand Festival. It's stressful, you know?" Solidad nodded understandingly.

"Considering your luck, though, I wouldn't get too hung up on it," she said. May gulped; if surviving a near-drowning experience was what Solidad meant by "luck," then the odds certainly were in May's favor—at least, they were earlier that day.

"Well, look who finally decided to wake up." May snapped out of her thoughts and looked to the doorway. Sure enough, there stood Drew casually against the frame, with his hands stuffed in his pockets and his usual smirk plastered on his face. May's face contorted into a look of annoyance; she hated that smirk of his, but right now, she _especially_ hated that smirk. Who was he, she thought, to act all arrogant after she had nearly died? Sure, he had been the one to save her life, but that was no excuse!

"_Please_," May began, folding her arms in irritation. "You know you would have been destroyed if I never did!" May had not meant to sound so morbid; furthermore, she fully expected him to flick his hair and come up with a sarcastic response. But, instead, his expression deadpanned and his eyes darkened. May was taken aback; she had never seen Drew look so ... serious. Well, perhaps that wasn't an accurate statement; May had seen him look very serious before—whenever he was training his Pokémon or was in the middle of a contest battle, for instance—but this was different. This time, there seemed to be visions of apprehensiveness, perhaps fear, floating across those emerald eyes.

The ever-observant Solidad watched the scene before her unfold carefully; her eyes shifted between the two coordinators for a moment, and decided now was an appropriate time to let them have a moment alone.

"You know," Solidad began, breaking the silence that hung above the room, "It's been a long day and I'm sure my Pokémon back at the Center are wondering where I am. Besides, it's past 10 p.m., and I don't think Nurse Joy will want to keep the doors open for me much longer." She slowly rose to her feet as she said this. "I will see you both in the morning. May. Please don't hesitate to call if you need anything."

"I won't Solidad, thank you," May replied. Solidad smiled and retrieved her bag. Just before she was about leave, she turned toward Drew and ruffled his chartreuse hair.

"I don't care how much you want to take care of her, make sure to get some sleep tonight," she told him. Drew's left eye twitched and his face flushed pink as he brushed her off.

"Yeah, yeah," he grumbled in response. May suppressed a giggle. One thing she really admired about Solidad: She was the only person in the world (at least, the only person May had met) who knew Drew well enough to, at any given time, disassemble his overly-confident front.

Silence descended upon the room once again, after Solidad left. May cradled her paper cup in her hands, observing (with inordinary fascination) the ripples created in the water each time she shifted her grip in the slightest. Meanwhile, Drew's gaze remained unfocused; he was looking at anything in the room that could have been of mild interest—except May, of course.

Finally, May—who for the life of her could not stand lulls in conversation—spoke up. She sent her rival a quick, anxious glance.

"You can sit down, you know," she said, gesturing to the chair Solidad previously occupied. Drew said nothing, but accepted her invitation and moved closer to her bedside.

"So, how are you holding up?" he asked. His voice was a whole lot gentler than before, which evaporated any lingering anger May felt toward him.

"I'm OK, I guess," she replied truthfully.

"How's your rib?" May blinked and, without realizing it, moved her hand toward her upper chest.

"It's fine, as long as I don't move around too much," she said. Drew moved his eyes away from hers, and hummed in response. Although he was doing a pretty good job at hiding it, May immediately knew that Solidad's speculation about Drew was, as usual, right.

She then, feeling a little more bold than usual, reached out and grabbed his hand with both of hers. Drew's reaction was quick and subtle, but May definitely noticed it. There was a flash in his eyes when he looked at her again. His expression was one of wariness, but he made no attempt to pull away.

"You really shouldn't feel bad," she began shyly. She rested his hand in her lap, and tightened her clutch on it slightly before she continued. "I mean, I'm the one who should be feeling awful because I was dumb enough to stand on a frozen lake in the middle of March." Drew gave a half-hearted chuckle at that and his hand, previously limp, finally reciprocated her grip.

"While it was pretty dumb, I wasn't going to let you just _die_," Drew replied while flicking his hair using his free hand. His usual egotistical tone was back and in full force. "I would lose my main competition if that happened." May let go of him and hit his shoulder.

"Jerk," she said, though she was laughing. Drew's expression suddenly softened and, after May's laughter died down, he was the one who re-engaged his hand with one of hers.

"Being serious now," he announced. His voice once again returned to its most amiable state. "May, I ..." He stumbled, unsure of exactly what he was going for. It seemed, up to that point, he had a million things he wanted to tell her (many of them for a long time before then). Yet, now, every phrase or sentence that crossed his mind seemed like the completely wrong thing to say. He struggled for the right words a moment longer while May watched him curiously.

"... I don't know what I would have done if I had lost you today," Drew finally finished. "You may be my rival, but you're also one of my best friends. I hope you know that." May's breath was caught in her throat; she couldn't recall a time when he actually regarded her as a friend. She had thought of him as one for a while, but after all the teasing and bickering she endured, she wasn't sure the feeling was ever mutual. May (and she truly couldn't understand _why_ this was happening) suddenly found herself blinking back hot tears.

"Mew," she murmured as she turned her head and hastily tried to wipe them away. Drew smirked.

"Why, Miss Maple, are you _crying_?" he asked.

"_No_."

"I think you are."

"I think you're imagining things," May said, throwing her arm aside and glaring at him. Drew chuckled lightly and brought her hand up to his mouth, kissing her knuckles. May's stomach exploded with a flock of anxious Butterfrees. They'd had their sentimental moments before—her meeting with him on the beach after the Hoenn Grand Festvial, or their discussion about coordinating while watching the sunset, just to name a few—but this took it to a whole new level. (She, of course, was disregarding their first two kisses she liked to think never happened.) May swallowed nervously as her face heated up.

"D-Didn't Solidad tell you that you needed to get some sleep?" she stammered. She didn't know how to handle the situation, therefore, she was going to do everything she could to escape from it. Drew dropped her hand.

"Right, like you want me to leave," he replied haughtily. May resisted the urge to roll her eyes; the constant fluctuation between "nice" Drew and "normal" Drew was strange and dizzying. When May didn't respond immediately, he smirked and continued:

"Although, it has been a long day. I'll see you in the morning," he said, rising to his feet. "Also, ditto to what Solidad said earlier: Call me if you need anything." May heaved her shoulders and nodded with a half-smile.

"Oh, and..." Drew rummaged around in his pocket, pulling out a Pokéball and tossing it to May.

She caught it with ease and, looking up at him, asked, "Glaceon?"

"Glaceon," he confirmed. "Might wanna have a talk with him. He was feeling bad about what happened today."

May smiled.

"... Sounds like someone I know."

_A/N: Well, I promised it would be longer, didn't I? I hope you enjoyed._


	4. The Kiss That Made Drew Smile

**Four.** The Kiss That Made Drew Smile.

"Uh... Let's see..." May mused aloud, carefully examining the cards in her hand. "Do you have a Goldeen?" Max grinned.

"Nope, go fish," he said. May sighed and drew another card from the deck.

Today was the Mahogany Town Contest, and she was still in the hospital. Her parents and brother had arrived yesterday afternoon and were trying the best to keep her entertained. They, along with Solidad and Drew, had been doing everything they could to make sure she didn't slip into a depression over the fact she couldn't compete. Which meant distracting her with cheap card games and funny PokéTube videos.

"Do you have a Stunfisk?" Max asked. May gritted her teeth; how was he so good at this game?

"Yes," she admitted begrudgingly, handing over the card. This was his fifth pair, while she thus far had only managed to obtain one.

"May, dear," Caroline poked her head into the room. "Your father and I are heading down to the cafeteria. Do you want anything? ... Oh, good morning Solidad!" Solidad had just walked into the room from behind the older woman, with a plastic convenience store shopping bag in hand. Solidad smiled warmly and did a little wave.

"Morning, Caroline," she replied, friendly.

It had been strange for May to see her two worlds collide over the past couple of days. Her family and her career (for lack of a better term) were separate entities of her life; both were very important to her, but mixing them together, she thought, would be strange and uncomfortable. Yet, though neither Solidad nor Drew had properly met her parents until yesterday, they all seemed to get along well. Although, Drew and her father _did_ seem a little wary of each other. She didn't have a clue why that was.

"No, thank you," May said politely.

"Hm?" Caroline intoned, distracted.

"No, I don't want any food," May clarified.

"Oh! Right." Caroline smiled sheepishly.

"Well, _I_ want something to eat!" Max declared, hopping off his chair. He looked to May before saying, "I'll be back soon, so we can finish our game."

May inwardly groaned, but nodded. She slumped down in her bed after he and her mother had left, and Solidad sat down.

"How are you feeling this morning?" the older coordinator asked amiably.

"Fantastic," May mumbled.

"I'm sorry," Solidad apologized, misreading the brunette's response.

"No, that wasn't sarcasm. I feel great," May said honestly, straightening up. "I know I can't compete in the contest, but I'd at least like to be released from the hospital so I can see Drew perform. I'm just frustrated because the doctor hasn't cleared me yet. I'm really tired of just laying around here with _nothing to do_." Solidad smiled sympathetically and reached into the plastic bag she had brought with her.

"Well, I have something that might ... entertain you for a bit." May bit her lip. She really didn't like the way Solidad said _entertain_. After a moment, the pink-haired woman pulled out a magazine and handed it to May.

"It's the latest issue of _Coordinator's Weekly_," Solidad explained as May turned the publication over to see the front cover. The young coordinator's eyes widened. Solidad continued, "I don't normally pay attention to the tabloids, but when I heard what the featured story was, I thought you might be interested."

_Interested_ was the wrong word. _Humiliated_ might have been a more appropriate term. There on the front page was her face—expressionless, a photo obviously taken backstage at some contest while she wasn't paying attention—with the attention-grabbing headline "Saved From The Brink of Death!" In the lower right-hand corner was a separate picture of Drew with the blurb "her hero." Drew looked rather dashing with his classic smirk, being the annoyingly photogenic person he was.

"Oh no," May moaned as she flipped the magazine open to begin reading the story. "How did they find out? Ugh, it says here there's an 'inside source.' Who would tell them?"

She looked to Solidad with a concerned expression. She wasn't by any means accusing her, but was immensely upset. This was a very private matter to May. She really wasn't interested in the entire contesting world knowing about her near-drowning experience. It made her look weak to potential competition—which was the last thing she needed when she was shooting to be a Top Coordinator this year. She came to Johto to be independent. What a disaster that was turning out to be.

Solidad shrugged.

"Word gets out, May," she said. "I found out you were at the hospital through chatter at the Pokémon Center. There would've been plenty of people for the reporters at _Coordinator's Weekly_ to talk to."

May's lips tightened and she set the magazine aside, deciding she wasn't going to finish reading it. It would upset her too much. Then, a thought occurred to her.

"Solidad..." she began tentatively, "... Do you think it was Drew who talked to them?" The very idea of it was crushing for her, but it would make sense. The article was very clearly a bolster to his already stellar reputation as the knight in shining armor, while she's depicted as the damsel in distress. Still, she didn't want to think he would use her like that for his own benefit.

"No," Solidad answered, without missing a beat. "Drew dislikes attention outside of what happens inside the contest hall; I'm sure he'll hate seeing himself on that front cover as much as you do." May appeared relieved upon this reassurance. Solidad continued, "Besides, even if he did want the coverage, he cares about you far too much to go behind your back like that."

May didn't respond to that; she wasn't sure how to. If Solidad had said the same thing a couple of weeks ago, May would have snorted and brushed her comment off. Since that conversation he and she had shared her first night in the hospital, though ... She didn't know what to think. It was confusing enough that they'd kissed each other twice, but since her near-drowning, he had also openly expressed she was one of his closest friends, despite their rivalry.

May had actually already talked to Solidad about that, privately (leaving out the part about the kissing, of course). The older woman didn't seem surprised, but admitted it was rare for Drew to confess such a thing.

"He keeps his feelings to himself," Solidad had explained. "He doesn't trust a lot of people. You're probably one of the few he does." May had asked Solidad to elaborate, but she dismissed her inquiry and changed the subject.

"You know, Solidad, I have to admit that I'm impressed," said a very familiar voice. May looked up to see that Drew had entered the room with two cups of coffee in hand. "May? Silent? Tell me, what's your secret? I can't ever get her to shut up without using _special_ measures." May turned red, realizing he was alluding to that night at the café several weeks ago. Solidad, unaware of the reference, simple shook her head and let out an amused chuckle.

"Good morning, Drew," Solidad greeted. There was a very light touch of sarcasm in her voice; so light, in fact, that if you didn't know her well enough, you would miss it completely. "Ready for the contest?"

"Of course," Drew replied, flicking his hair. May, after overcoming her embarrassment, finally spoke up.

"Shouldn't you be at the contest hall?" she asked.

"Soon," Drew admitted, "but not now." He cast Solidad a sideways glance and she, taking the hint, rose to her feet and waved to May before making her exit. May lowered her head slightly. It seemed now that she, Drew, and Solidad could never be in the same room together. Solidad had a tendency to simply _get up and leave_ if it meant giving May and Drew some time alone. May wasn't sure when or why this pattern was established, and she wasn't sure if she liked it either.

"So, um ... Did you see this?" May picked up the magazine and handed it to Drew. He set down both of the drinks he was carrying on the table before accepting the magazine from her. May waited for Drew to have some sort of reaction as his eyes scanned over the cover, but he remained completely expressionless.

"The one on the left is yours," Drew commented offhandedly as he began flipping through the magazine to find the story.

"What?" May asked, confused. Drew rolled his eyes.

"The drink on the left is yours," he clarified. "Caramel Macchiato. That's what you ordered back in Ecruteak City."

"Oh." May's cheeks had turned pink. She couldn't believe he had actually remembered that. "Thank you." Drew nodded, though his eyes remained glued to the magazine. After a few minutes, he closed it up and placed it where May had it previously.

"It certainly is... dramatic," he concluded.

"Embarrassing is more like it," she mumbled. "Well, for me. Not for you." He shrugged and sat down, snatching the remaining coffee drink off the table as he did.

"People were going to find out eventually," he said. May sighed.

"Yeah..." Her voice trailed off.

"It's not as bad as you think. People will have forgotten all about it in a couple of weeks. And, relationship speculation blows over pretty quickly." He paused when he saw the confused expression on her face, and asked, "Did you actually read it?"

"No."

"Figures."

She raised her eyebrows.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

He shook his head and retrieved the magazine once again, opening it to a certain page and pointing to a paragraph at the bottom. May began to read: "The big question remains: Will Hayden's heroic act be the spark needed to heat up his relationship with his long-time rival?" May didn't go on after that and became terribly flustered.

"Oh, Arceus. 'It's not as bad as you think?' Drew, this is awful." He looked a little put-off by this statement.

"_Awful_," he repeated, sounding annoyed.

"Yes," May persisted, just as irritated as he was. "This makes me look vulnerable in the eyes of competition, more than I already do. I don't want to be the silly little girl who fell in love after being saved by Mr. Big Hero of the Day."

"Why are you making such a big deal out of this?" he asked, his voice rising. "No one's actually going to think like that. You're talented, you proved that at the Kanto Grand Festival. Arceus, you proved it at the Ecruteak Contest." May mentally stumbled; he had never admitted she was talented before. It was always teasing, and cocky remarks about how she had a lot of catching up to do. Drew continued, "Besides, why is the possibility of you being in love with me so awful?"

"Because it's not true, and even if it was, it would be unrequited," May retorted, her voice also rising."Why are you making such a big deal over whether I'm in love with you or not?"

"Because-" He stopped short, the severity of his tone dropping off. "Who are you to say it would be unrequited?" May's breath hitched in her throat.

"Well, it would be, wouldn't it?" she asked tersely. They both realized they had become so caught up in their argument that they had forgotten all laws of personal space and were literally mere inches away from each other.

"Maybe not," he conceded. The volume of his voice had fallen dramatically.

"That's kind of vague."

"Well, you're not really in love with me, so..."

They were maintaining perfect eye contact as this conversation occurred. May's heart felt like it was beating out of her chest. She realized it was now a game of who decided to give in first, because it seemed obvious that they planned to have a repeat of their night in the café. Frankly, she didn't understand it at all.

Drew lost; he inclined his head toward hers, and she closed her eyes, waiting.

"Hey, May-"

The two coordinators jerked away from each other, and Drew's chair slid back and nearly toppled over from the sudden movement. Both were a little pink in the face.

"M-Max!" May stammered. "Don't surprise us like that!"

"Oh, was he interrupting something?" asked Caroline mischievously, entering the room from behind her son with her husband in tow. Norman looked very suspicious and was watching Drew carefully. Drew stuffed his hands into his pockets and avoided the protective father's gaze.

"_No_," May protested. "Drew was just... um..."

"On my way to the contest hall," Drew finished for her smoothly. May glowered at him; how was he always able to recover from uncomfortable situations so nicely while she stood by stuttering like an idiot? "I was just waiting for all of you to return so that May didn't have to be left here alone." He cast May a sideways glance and added, "May, I'll see you later." He then brushed passed her family and was out the door. Norman continued to warily watch him until he was out of sight.

"So..." Caroline drawled, sitting on the edge of bed. "What happened between you two?"

"Nothing happened, Mom," May insisted, her voice finally even.

"Really?" Max asked, an eyebrow raised. He seemed just as suspicious as their father.

"Yes," May replied. She tossed the sheets off of her. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go to the bathroom." She couldn't handle their teasing at the moment, and needed a temporary escape to recuperate and sort out what was going on in her head. Drew had almost kissed her, _again. _That wasn't the main problem, though. She was scared because she was actually _disappointed_ it hadn't happened.

"Well, maybe you should wait until we get you down to the contest hall," Caroline said as May rose to her feet. May's head snapped up.

"What?" she asked.

"We passed your doctor on the way up here from the cafeteria. He said he plans on coming by in a few minutes to give you one last quick check-up before signing your form for release," Norman explained, finally easing up. A grin spread across May's face.

"Seriously?" she asked, beaming.

"Yup." Norman nodded.

"Now you'll be able to go watch Drew perform, like you wanted," Caroline added excitedly.

May could only laugh nervously in response.

* * *

"You seem unusually edgy today," Solidad commented as she watched Drew do some last-minute preparations with Masquerain, who would be performing in the appeals round today. She was backstage with Drew as his guest, but would be returning to the main audience in a few minutes. "Really, I haven't seen you like this in years."

Drew scoffed.

"I'm not nervous about the contest."

"No?"

"I just have a lot of things on my mind."

"Do these things include May?"

Drew paused for a moment.

"No," he replied finally. Solidad sighed, and Drew's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. She didn't believe him. Solidad had it in her head that he had feelings for his rival. He had vehemently denied these accusations before, but she remained unwilling to relent. OK, so maybe he had told her once that he cared about May—a lot. But that was while she was knocked out in the hospital a couple of days ago. He was saying a lot of things that he probably shouldn't have.

"Whatever you say," Solidad said, shrugging.

Drew returned Masquerain to its Pokéball before turning to fully face her.

"Why do you keep leaving May and I alone?"

Solidad raised her eyebrows.

"Because you _want_ me to," she replied, folding her arms. "You just don't want to admit that out loud."

* * *

"Ah! It's already started!" May panicked as she and her family entered the arena. Her release had taken longer than expected. When the doctor said a couple of minutes, he actually meant 30. And when he said a "quick" check-up, he really meant an extensive observation of how she was doing and a long-winded explanation of what she could and couldn't do for next few weeks. "What round are we in?"

"_And that's that!_" Adrian, the Johto Contest MC, announced. "_Jonathon and his Croconaw are the winners of this round and will progress to the final stage to face Drew!_"

"Sounds like they just finished up with the semi-finals," Max commented.

"Yeah, strangely enough, I got that," May replied with a hint of sarcasm. Her mother gave her a warning look and May immediately backed off; she knew her mom hated it when she and her brother fought.

"Oh, May hon!"

The color from May's face visibly drained. He couldn't be here, could he ... ?

He was.

Harley stood up from his seat and gestured for her and her family to come toward him. He happened to be situated beside Solidad, and May breathed out a sigh; she had forgotten, she and Harley were apparently "old friends." She didn't quite understand how that ever worked out. Solidad was so mature and good-hearted while Harley was... well, mean and cunning.

"It's good to see you up and about, May," Solidad said, smiling as she approached. "You made it just in time."

"Oh yes, May, I heard about your little near-death experience in _Coordinator's Weekly_!" Harley exclaimed dramatically. "How awful! It's good you're OK. Come, sit with us, we have quite a few open seats here." May hesitated, but Solidad gave her a reassuring look, and the young coordinator finally agreed.

"So, who is this purple-haired man?" Norman asked quietly after they were seated.

"That's Harley. He's one of my rivals from way back in Hoenn," May explained shortly.

"I've told you and Mom about him before, remember?" Max added. "He's the one who's always using cheap tactics to get back at May for beating him."

"I remember that, now. He was the one who pretended to be very nice to you, May, in the Hoenn Grand Festival, wasn't he?" Caroline recalled. May nodded.

"Don't worry about it though," May said with a crooked smile. "Solidad's here, so he won't try to pull anything." Norman scoffed.

"Solidad? _I'm_ here. He _definitely_ won't be trying to pull anything over my daughter with me around," he said. May's smile widened and she laughed.

"_Stage set! Who will rise victorious and earn the Mahogany Ribbon? Will it be Drew of La Rousse City, or Jonathon of Cherrygrove? Either way, let's get busy!_" Adrian cried out, demanding the attention of the Maples and Solidad and Harley. The crowd erupted into cheers as the two contestants, Drew and Jonathon, stepped onto the battlefield, ready to go. Even from far away, May could tell Drew was smirking. She clasped her hands together and brought them up to her lips. Something was tingling at the bottom of belly.

"Croconaw! I choose you!" Jonathon cried, releasing the fearsome water-type. Drew flicked his hair.

"Roserade, go!"

"_Five minutes are on the clock! The battle may now begin!_"

"Roserade, use Magical Leaf!" Drew ordered, calling out the first attack.

"Croconaw, dodge!" The Big Jaw Pokémon was not nearly quick enough to escape Roserade's onslaught though, and was knocked back by the powerful move.

"_A direct hit! That's going to cost Jonathon some big points, giving Drew an early lead._"

"I imagine this battle won't last very long," Max remarked, pushing the rim of his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Roserade's got a type advantage over Croconaw, and that Magical Leaf was super effective."

"How boring," Harley added, shaking his head. "There's no challenge in it at all if Drew's going that route."

"It's close to the Grand Festival, though," Solidad explained, turning her head to the steely green-eyed coordinator. "This isn't a time for Drew to take risks. He needs that fifth ribbon. Besides..." She cast a sideways glance at May. "I think he's a little worried after his loss to May in Ecruteak. If he loses this battle, too, then he faces going up against her again in the Maroon City Contest." May blinked in surprise and lowered her hands, but she said nothing as she returned to her attention back to the battle.

Croconaw, luckily for his trainer, bounced back quickly. Jonathon sighed in relief and grinned.

"Use Slash!" he ordered. Croconaw obeyed and charged toward his opponent.

"Roserade, Petal Dance." Roserade quickly whipped up a storm of little pink petals, covering half of the entire field, and completely concealing himself from his attacker. Croconaw stopped in his tracks, confused and unsure of where the grass-type had disappeared. Jonathon looked just as apprehensive as his Pokémon.

"Croconaw, be careful!" he admonished. Drew smirked again.

"All right, Roserade, use Solar Beam now!" From seemingly out of nowhere, a blast of light tore through the rain of petals and hit Croconaw head-on.

"Roserade powered up that attack while she was hidden in the petals," Solidad mused. "Drew's had this planned out for a while."

The battle was over before it had barely even begun. Croconaw was knocked down again and was this time declared unable to battle.

"You were right, Max, that was a quick battle," Norman said.

"Drew certainly is talented," Caroline added. May furrowed her eyebrows, watching Drew as he accepted his fifth and final ribbon from Mr. Contesta.

"Yeah," she agreed. He was going to prove to be a tough opponent at the Grand Festival—that is, if she could ever get _her_ last ribbon.

"_This is Drew's fifth ribbon, making him eligible for entry into this year's Johto Grand Festival in Blackthorn City! Thank you all for coming out, and have a wonderful evening!_" Drew shook hands with Jonathon, recalled Roserade into her Pokéball, and exited the stage area.

"May, you should go say hello before he leaves," Solidad suggested suddenly. "He'll be happy to see you're out of the hospital."

"You think?" May asked.

"Of course," Solidad said, nodding. May looked a little apprehensive, however, remembering their almost-kiss earlier that afternoon. It was all about avoiding that awkwardness for her; besides, the last time she overcame herself and went to the café with him, despite being nervous about the fact that she had stupidly kissed him the previous evening, they ended up kissing each other _again_.

"Go on, May, we'll wait for you," Caroline insisted. May hesitated.

"Well... Why don't you come with me, Solidad?" she suggested. Solidad smiled and shook her head.

"No, I'll catch up with him later," she replied. "You should hurry, though. He typically doesn't hang around the contest hall long after the contest has finished."

_Except when he's waiting for me_, May inadvertantly thought, remembering the Ecruteak Contest. "OK," she finally said, rising to her feet.

"No running, though," Norman reminded. "The doctor doesn't want you doing that." May nodded and waved them off as she joined the flow of people trying to exit the arena. She ran her fingers through her hair, attempting to make herself look a little more presentable, and not like she had just gotten off bed rest.

She stopped when she realized that _Arceus_, she was actually trying to look good for Drew.

* * *

She found him backstage among several other coordinators who hadn't left yet. He was in the middle of packing his things up, and May approached him with caution, noting that he hadn't realized she was there yet. However, she got a few stares from the other coordinators, all whom probably recognized her face from _Coordinator's Weekly_. She bit her lip and shuffled her feet; she didn't like this attention. It was one of the things she was worried about when she saw the story. And now they were going to see her talking to Drew...

She shook her head. No, she wasn't going to run off because she was afraid of what other people would think.

"Hi," she greeted shyly, once she was close to her rival for him to hear her. His head snapped up.

"May!" he exclaimed in surprise, straightening up. "They let you out." She nodded.

"I saw your battle with Jonathon. You were very good."

"Of course I was," he said, smirking and flicking his hair, "but, thank you."

May smirked herself and added, "If I had a rose, I would give it to Roserade for her fantastic performance." That elicited a chuckle from him.

"I'll be sure to give her your compliments." There was a pause when they both realized that the other coordinators had cleared out; they were alone.

Drew breathed out, "May, what are you doing here?" She shrugged.

"Well, Solidad kind of forced me into it, but..." she began tentatively, "... I wanted to apologize." He raised his eyebrows, but didn't say anything. She continued, "I overreacted at the hospital. I shouldn't have gotten mad. You were right, it was inevitable that the story was going to get out, and I was so upset, I took it out on you. You, who I should really be grateful to." The edge of Drew's lips tugged upward—not quite enough to be a smile, but it was an expression of acceptance of her apology, anyway.

"I'm sorry, too," Drew confessed. "I shouldn't have gotten upset either."

"Also..." May's head was telling her not to say it, that it was a terrible, bad thing to say, but irrationality was overpowering her common sense. "... Um, it wouldn't be awful if I was in love with you. That was a mean thing of me to say." He smirked again.

"To be fair, I'm pretty hard to put up with." He was joking and, yet, he was being serious at the same time. It amazed May, but it was sort of overwhelming for her, too; they had been fairly open with each other for the past couple of days. Weeks, really. They never had dialogue like this while they were traveling through Hoenn or Kanto. Most everything they talked about then was strictly related to contests, or Pokémon. But, their conversations were a lot more personal now. They were about getting to know the person, rather than the coordinator.

"True," May laughed. As soon as her laughter died off, however, his expression deadpanned and he looked at her with that affectionate (that was the word she was mentally using to describe it now) gaze she saw after their moment in the café, when she was restraining herself from kissing him a second time, and again a couple of days ago in the hospital, while he was holding her hand and telling her she was one of his closest friends.

She swallowed. They had unfinished business from that afternoon.

Her heart rate picked up as it had before, but this time, she wasn't waiting. Something overcame her—the rational, 'Drew is my rival, you shouldn't be doing this' part of her—and she took the initiative. She stepped close enough to him for the very tips of their shoes to touch, and she wrapped her arms around his neck as to lift herself up (she had only then just realized he was now two or three inches taller than her), bringing her lips to his.

This kiss was very different from the previous two, which were quick surprises that were over before they barely had begun, and were usually regretted afterward. Although May didn't think she was quite in her right mind (she was almost _never_ this bold), enough of her was there to know that this was purposeful. This wasn't a mistake at all. She was investing herself into it and, after a brief millisecond or two, so was he.

His left hand cupped her cheek, while his right tentatively touched the edge of her waist. There was something else, though; she literally could feel him _smiling_ against her lips. He was enjoying this as much as she as, and when they finally broke away, it wasn't out of fear or sudden realization that they were having a severe lapse of judgement. The look on both of their faces afterward were fairly similar, however. They said something along the lines of, "_Oh Mew, did that really just happen?_"

"Um," May stammered, trying to find words again. Her arms unraveled themselves from the nape of his neck and her hands navigated down to his shoulders. His hand, meanwhile, had moved up from her cheek to brush her light brown hair behind her ear. She was still standing so close to him that she could literally _feel_ his body heat radiating from him. "My parents will be expecting me soon. And, I think Solidad wanted to see you."

His hand dropped to his side. "Right," he said. May backed off as well; she was still in a sort of shock, and was unsure of what to make of the situation.

"Maroon City, right?" he asked. She nodded. He continued, "I'll be there. I expect to battle you in this year's Grand Festival." She smiled at him confidently.

"You will, don't worry," she assured him before disappearing in a hurry, lest someone find them and ask questions.

Drew lingered behind for a moment longer. He stuffed his hands into his pockets, meandered over to the bench, and sat down.

If he thought he had a lot of things on his mind before, he didn't know how he would be able to handle all the things running through his head now.

_A/N: Hope you enjoyed! Reviews are always appreciated._


	5. The Kiss That Came With A Rose

**Five.** The Kiss That Came With A Rose.

When she first saw him, she panicked.

Which both made sense and made no sense at all. They had parted on good terms, but those terms included a kiss that had turned rather amorous (May inwardly trembled at the thought) and a promise that he would see her again at the Maroon City Contest. A promise that was upheld, as there he was, waiting for her near the sign-up counter for the contest.

May rigidly turned away, sucking in her breath. She'd been questioning herself ever since that third kiss in Mahogany Town. Everything she thought she knew and felt about Drew had started to shift toward something that terrified her. Something she expected to feel as a 20-something adult, when she would tire of traveling and decide to settle down and get married to some nice guy she started dating after they fatefully ran into each other at the Pokémart and he helped her carry her groceries; _not_ when she was a young teen coordinator, and _certainly_ not with her arrogant rival.

May paused and shook her head. She couldn't let her thoughts run amok like that. Truthfully, she didn't know if she felt that way toward him ... yet. She had thought she would be able to better sort out her emotions the next time she saw him. She figured the three weeks time between the Mahogany and Maroon Contests would put enough distance between her irrational, emotionally-charged self and her logical, clear-thinking normal self, so she could make a clean-cut decision. The moment she saw him, however, casually seated in the lobby of the contest hall with his (admittedly) stunning green eyes distant and cloudy with thought, her senses started to go haywire again.

There was little to be done about it, now, though. Entry for the contest closed in an hour. She couldn't just cower outside the building forever.

Feeling a little braver, she strutted through the automatic doors and went straight up the counter. She knew Drew had seen her from the way she could feel his piercing gaze burrowing into the back of her head.

"I'm here to sign up for the Maroon City Contest, please," May said, sliding her Johto contest pass across the desk. The attendant smiled and scanned the pass into the computer.

"All right, you're all set to go, Ms. Maple," the attendant said, handing the contest pass back to May. The female attendant then looked up and, her eyes widening slightly, politely asked, "Are you also here to sign up, Mr. Hayden?" May glanced behind her to see that Drew had also approached the desk.

"Nope," Drew replied, flicking his hair. "Already have my five ribbons. I'm just here to see her." He gestured to May, who (and she hated herself for this) flushed pink, realizing how they must have looked to the female attendant after he said that, especially after all the buzz around their relationship several weeks ago.

"Of course," the attendant smiled again, though there was a knowing look in her eyes. May laughed nervously before slipping away. Drew followed closely behind.

"What was that about?" she demanded in a low voice once the attendant was out of earshot. "She probably thinks we're dating now!" Drew shrugged.

"Let her, then," he said dryly. May glowered at him, but didn't let her anger get the best of her, remembering their last fight. It simply wasn't worth it.

"How does she know you, anyway?" she asked, calming down.

"People have _always_ known who I am," he replied haughtily. He then paused and looked around. "And since last month's issue of _Coordinator's Weekly_, people know who you are, too. More than they already did." May also took the opportunity to survey her surroundings, and found that nearly all the other coordinators in the room were watching them. It was slightly reminiscent of what happened backstage at the Mahogany Town Contest, except there were far less people there. May inhaled sharply.

"I didn't want this," she panicked. "I thought you said relationship speculation blows over quickly."

"I did say that," Drew conceded, "_but_ only if we don't give them reason to speculate. And, well, they have reason to speculate." May pressed her lips together; he was right. The notion that something was going on "behind the scenes," so to speak, would have been ridiculous if there really was nothing happening between them. But there _was_ something happening, and it was freaking her out.

"No one saw anything," May protested weakly. Two minutes after seeing each other for the first time in several weeks, and already, they were talking about this.

"It won't be long before they do, at the rate we're going," Drew replied smugly. May noticed she was standing a little closer than what was "acceptable," and took a step back. She suddenly realized how silly this all was; they were trying to hide a relationship that didn't even exist.

Yet. If ever.

"Let's talk about something else," May insisted. Drew raised his eyebrows.

"Fine," he gave in. "Are you ready for today?"

"I think so."

"You _think_?"

"You're the one who told me never to be overconfident," May reminded.

"Yes, but at least have some conviction," Drew advised. "Remember, I want to face you in the Grand Festival so I can crush you."

"... I don't know whether to honored or angry." May waved her hand dismissively. "You're distracting me. I can't... think straight when you're around."

"Yes, I tend to have that effect on women," Drew quipped. Rather than getting annoyed by his usual cocky attitude, May let out a short laugh.

"Arceus, you're so full of it," she giggled. "OK, seriously. I have to do some last-minute training." The moment had lightened up significantly from a few minutes ago. Here they were, hanging out together in the middle of the contest hall's lobby, engaging in playful banter while everyone else watched. It occurred to her that _this_ was probably the reason why everyone thought they were together.

"Everything's last minute with you, isn't it?" he teased.

"Shut up," she shot back, though she hardly sounded serious. This time, he was the one to break the "personal space" barrier between them. May's eyes widened, and her throat tightened up. He wasn't _really_ going to do _that_ here, was he? Not with all these people around...

"Well, I'll leave you be then," he said, playfully flicking her nose before turning away. "I'll be watching you from the audience." May turned red from a mix of embarrassment and anger. She didn't understand why Solidad had said Drew didn't appreciate notice outside of the battlefield, because he was _so_ enjoying the attention he was getting from playing up this pseudo-romantic relationship between them. She didn't understand it. It wasn't like he wanted to be her boyfriend, was it ... ?

May breathed out. Maybe this was just his new way of pushing her buttons. She knew he loved getting her riled up which, beforehand, he could do with a simple insult. But since she'd become better at coming up with a few witty retorts of her own, he needed a new tactic. Yes, that had to be it.

May pivoted on her heel and pulled out her Pokénav, dialing the number of the one person she knew she could talk to about this. She hurried outside and found a more secluded area among the trees near the contest hall.

"Hello?" Dawn's voice chimed in, picking up the call. May sat down on an old bench.

"Dawn, it's me," she said.

"Oh, hi May! It's been a while since we last talked." A pause. "I heard about what happened in _Coordinator's Weekly_. I can't even tell you how glad I am you're OK. It's funny, I was actually planning on calling you about it later today. I didn't want to right after it happened, since I figured you were already being overwhelmed by loads of attention, and I didn't want to make that worse..."

"I'm still being overwhelmed by attention," May confessed, "but that's not why I called. Well, it sort of is. It's part of it."

"Part of what?"

May took in a deep breath.

"I think I'm falling in love with my rival."

* * *

"So, word on the street is you and May darling were chatting it up this morning in the lobby," Harley teased, elbowing Drew in the ribs. A rather irked expression crossed Drew's face. _Why oh why_ did Solidad have to be friends with Harley? Why couldn't she just despise him and obnoxious ways like he did? Drew was terribly lucky to be sitting next to the purple-haired coordinator, waiting for the contest to start. The only redeemable part of this situation was that Solidad was also seated with them, but still...

"May and I tend to do that a lot," Drew replied sarcastically. "We _are_ rivals."

"Not just talking, though," Harley interjected, wagging his finger. "_Flirting_. What's going on between you and Miss Sunshine?"

"Nothing that you need to know," Drew snapped.

"My someone's touchy, aren't they?" Harley asked snidely, dropping his friendly act.

"Only around you," Drew grumbled.

"All right, that's enough you two," Solidad intervened. "The judges are being seated right now. I expect they'll be starting any moment."

"Oh, Solidad, please tell me you've heard the rumours, too," Harley persisted.

"I think most everyone has," she replied plainly. Drew gave her an exasperated look, to which she just smiled.

"It doesn't surprise me, Drew. You do have a tendency to get a bit _comfortable_ with May," she explained, "although, I have to admit, this is the first time you've been public about it."

"Comfortable?" Drew questioned, cocking his eyebrow.

"Holding hands, kissing knuckles, flicking noses..." Solidad smiled again when she saw Drew's expression as she named these instances. "... Yes, I'd say you're comfortable with May." Harley snickered and Drew pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing. May had told Solidad about what happened at the hospital.

"What else do you know, Solidad?" he asked begrudgingly.

"Nothing," Solidad replied with a shrug. "Is there anything else I should know?"

The crowd erupted into cheers as Adrian took the center stage to kick-off the beginning of the contest.

"Nope," Drew said over the loud racket, turning his attention to the field. At least May had left out all the more intimate details. That figured; May didn't seem particularly keen on people knowing there was something, Arceus-forbid, _romantic_ going on between them. It surprised him, but she seemed more adverse to being publicly affectionate than he was. He always thought _he_ would be the one to be less touchy-feely out in the open...

"_Greetings, ladies and gentleman! And welcome to the Maroon City Contest!_" Adrian greeted cheerfully. "_Thank you for your patience in waiting. Now, let's meet our judges so we can get this competition underway!_" The opening followed as usual; Adrian introduced the three judges, Mr. Contesta, Mr. Sukizo, and the Maroon City Nurse Joy, before explaining the rules of the contest and showing off the the prize—the Maroon City Ribbon.

"_Now, prepare yourselves for a show of beauty and power! It's the appeals round!_" Adrian grinned. "_First up is May Maple of Petalburg City, Hoenn._"

"So, May's first," Solidad remarked aloud, watching as May entered the arena with a cheerful smile plastered on her face.

"All right, Beautifly, take the stage!" the young coordinator cried out, releasing the bug-type.

"Haven't seen Beautifly since the Wallace Cup," Drew commented, "Wonder what she has in store for us."

"Beautifly, use Morning Sun!" May ordered. The butterfly-like Pokémon soared to the center of the stage and, soaking up the sunlight of the open arena, began to glow white around the edges.

"_Beautiful!_" Adrian praised. "_Just look at that sparkle! A fantastic move to open up this round._"

"Now, Beautifly, use Psychic!" Beautifly's eyes glimmered with a radiant blue before she unleashed a powerful wave of psychic energy that left the audience's ears ringing (though not in an unpleasant way). The Pokémon then veered down toward her trainer, landing gently atop her head, their performance finished.

"_A great opening act, indeed! Now let's see what the judges thought._" After a few seconds delay, the number 27.5 showed up on the screen. "_A solid score! May and her Beautifly have truly set the bar high. Let's give them one more round of applause._"

"Hmph, she and that little insect of hers did well, as usual," Harley grumbled.

"Adrian's right, May's set a high standard," Solidad added. "I wouldn't want to be the coordinator following _that_ act."

"Yeah..." Drew's voice trailed off. Solidad smiled knowingly.

"She's going to make some tough competition at the Grand Festival this year, Drew," she continued. "I think we're all going to have train extra hard should we face her on the battlefield..."

Drew pressed his lips tightly together and hummed in agreement.

* * *

May was elated. No, she was _more_ than elated. She finally had her fifth ribbon, her key to entry into the Johto Grand Festival. She had worked so hard for this all year, and now, the title of Top Coordinator was at last within reach once again...

The young coordinator let out a cheerful laugh as she stumbled up the stairs back to the coordinator's lounge. Beautifly was trailing behind her, wearing the red-colored Maroon City Ribbon she had so rightfully earned. May was in such a happy mood that all her stresses about her questionable relationship with her rival had vanished from earlier. She could figure all that out, later. Dawn had already provided her with some excellent advice, anyway.

Although, there was a part of her that wished she had someone to celebrate with right now... This was the first time she'd earned all five of her ribbons without a party of other trainers (i.e. Ash, Brock, and her brother) to greet and congratulate her.

Arceus must have heard her silent wish, however, because Drew suddenly appeared at the top of the staircase on which she was heading up.

"Drew!" she exclaimed in surprise, nearly tripping up the steps as she did. She grabbed onto the hand bar to prevent herself from completely falling down and making herself look more like a klutz than she already was. He suppressed a chuckle and made his way down to her, offering her his hand. She reluctantly accepted, and he helped her to regain her balance before heading back up to the top of the staircase. He nevertheless didn't let go after that.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, feeling a little nervous about the fact that his hand was still clutching hers. All that about her not being stressed about her and Drew's relationship earlier had just flown out the window.

"Well, you and I have sort of established this pattern now where after one of us wins a contest, we meet up with each other backstage, offer our congratulations, talk for a bit..." He pulled a rose out from behind him, twirling it in between his fingers. May blinked. It had been a while since she had last seen one of those. She remembered joking about it after the Mahogany Town Contest. Did that have anything to do with the flower's sudden reappearance?

"... Maybe offer each other something a bit _more_." He leaned in and kissed the area between her ear and upper cheek. May's heart fluttered, and she couldn't help but blush. This was a side of him she had only seen bits and pieces of: the suave, romantic part of him. Which prompted the question,_why_ was she even seeing it? Also, 'something a bit more?' Was he suggesting they take the leap and officially become more than just rivals and friends? At the Ecruteak Contest, the thought of such was terrifying, perhaps even silly to her. Now it seemed like a much more viable possibility...

_"I don't know what I'm doing, Dawn," May moaned, shaking her head. She had just spilled the entirety of her situation to her friend, kisses and dating rumours included. "I don't know if I love him, or if I hate him, or if I'm just confused and grateful because he saved my life..."_

_"Well, you're definitely confused," Dawn laughed._

_"Not helping."_

_"Sorry," Dawn apologized. "OK, I'm assuming you called because you want my opinion?"_

_"Yes."_

_"All right, then: It sounds to me like you've had it for this guy for a long time now, but that you're just really scared because you're young and this is really big stuff," the Sinnoh coordinator explained. "The fact he's your rival makes it more complicated, since you don't want your feelings to get in the way of your goals."_

_"But... What if he doesn't feel the same way... ?"_

_"..."_

_"... Dawn?"_

_"May, kissing is typically the universal sign for, 'I'm very much attracted to you, let's make this happen.' Of course he feels the same way."_

_May's bottom lip quivered before she asked, __"So, what should I do then?" She could hear Dawn sigh across the line._

_"I think the better question is, what do you _want_ to do?"_

"T-Thanks," May stammered, accepting his rose. "You missed, though." She might have laughed at the rather appalled expression that appeared on his face after making such a bold statement, if she didn't feel so terribly nervous right then. He quickly recovered though, and began to close the space between them.

His hand settled itself on the nape of her neck, making it easy work to bring her in for a kiss. May instinctively tightened her grip on the thornless stem of her rose as he pressed his lips deeper against hers and she reciprocated. This was by far the most personable of the bunch. Not that either minded, of course. May actually felt quite comfortable and warm in his hold, especially now that he has his other arm wrapped tightly around her waist.

The tenderness of the moment had built to the point that when he first broke away from her, and after he received an approving look from her, he was prepared to kiss her a second time. However—

"Seriously, where could they have gone?"

"Maybe they already left..."

—May and Drew untangled themselves and staggered apart when they heard the voices of Harley and Solidad around the corner.

"Ah, there you are," Solidad said with a kindly smile, approaching the the two coordinators. She raised her eyebrows, noticing the rather bright shade of red painted on both of their faces. "I didn't think you'd leave without at least saying 'goodbye.'"

"That's right," Harley added with a devious smirk. "Now we'll all be competing in the Johto Grand Festival. Won't that be fun?"

"Tons," May agreed a little too earnestly, quickly nodding. "I can't wait." From behind her, Beautifly let out a knowing trill of laughter, seeing her trainer's and the green-haired boy's nervous states. Both of the young coordinator's blushes deepened. They had completely forgotten Beautifly was there, meaning their little moment had had an audience.

"Beautifly, return," May hastily called the bug-type back into her Pokéball.

"Well, while it's been fun meeting all of you here, I have to set off for Blackthorn City tonight so I can get there within the next week to start my training." Drew attempted to flick his hair, but ended up accidentally hitting himself in the eye. "Ow." Not bothering to try and smooth things over, he turned on his heel and headed out the door and into the coordinator's lounge.

"I should get going, too," May announced after he was gone. She then proceeded to go back down the stairs, but not before Solidad called out:

"May, you know that's back to the stage."

"Oh, um, right," May let out a nervous laugh. "OK then." She ran back up the stairs and brushed past the two older coordinators and went through the door which Drew had previously entered. Solidad and Harley exchanged a furtive glance.

"Did... something happen between them?" he asked.

"Oh, definitely."

_A/N: Hope you enjoyed! Reviews are always appreciated!_


	6. The Kiss That Aired On National TV

**Six.** The Kiss That Aired On National Television.

May couldn't believe she had made it this far.

The final stage of the Grand Festival.

It felt so surreal, like it was all a dream—a dream that couldn't last long, because she had possibly one of the toughest battles of her coordinating career ahead of her, and she needed to focus and pull herself back into reality. Drew wanted that ribbon cup just as bad as she did, and he and his Pokémon were going to put up a hell of a fight for it.

There was a part of May that couldn't help but think that she had had it easy getting here. She hadn't faced any of her main competition in the battles leading up to this one. Harley was taken down in the first round by Solidad, who was later defeated by Drew in the semi-finals (after a grueling battle that quite literally went down to the last second; Drew only won by a breadth of a point). Meanwhile, May had faced all coordinators who, while proving to be talented competition, were nothing compared to Drew, Solidad, or even Harley. That was just the luck of the draw, she supposed.

"Miss?" One of the backstage managers approached May, who was sitting alone on a bench in the almost-empty coordinator's lounge. Grand Festival participants were always welcomed to stay in the lounge even if they had been eliminated, though many chose to join the main audience. Nevertheless, some preferred the air conditioning and remained inside.

"Yes?" May answered politely, looking up.

"Just a heads-up that you'll need to be on stage in 10 minutes from now for your match against Mr. Hayden."

Ten minutes would fly by in no time. She rubbed the palms of her hands nervously together, but offered the manager a crooked grin.

"Understood. Thank you." The manager nodded and walked away, probably off to find Drew and inform him of the same detail.

Drew...

She honestly hadn't seen much of him since the opening ceremonies of the festival. Well, that wasn't exactly true. She'd seen plenty of him when Solidad or Harley or both were around. If either of them so little as _tried_ to leave them alone (Solidad was usually guilty of this, but Harley started doing it too on the second day of appeals, which had led May to believe that they were in cahoots with each other), she and Drew would simply separate. Neither could risk letting whatever was going on between them (and at that point, May definitely couldn't deny there was _something_ going on between them) distract them and cause them to lose their focus, especially if they ended up facing each other in battle.

And, as fate would have it, they would.

May knew their avoiding each other wasn't permanent, however. She had worried for the first couple of days of the festival, but she changed her mind last night after Solidad suggested the four of them head out to dinner as a way to clear the air between all of them in light of Harley's and her own loss and May and Drew's upcoming battle.

_"You know, we should have more cute family outings like this," Harley suggested amicably with a grin. He had been handling the loss against Solidad surprisingly well, although, May guessed, he was only handling it well because it was against Solidad. If it were to Drew or herself, he'd probably be a lot more bitter. He continued, "Solidad and I always go out together, Solidad and Drew always go out together, and Drew and May always go out together... Let's just save ourselves the trouble and start going out as a big group."_

_May flushed pink upon Harley's declaration about herself and Drew. Drew, on the other hand, didn't seem to mind as he continued to unconsciously stir the ice cubes in his water with his straw, though he was indeed paying attention to the conversation. He looked up at May and offered her something that was a mix between a smirk and a smile._

_"Maybe," Solidad began, "if we all end up traveling to the same region for the next coordinating season."_

_"Oh Solidad, hun, don't talk about next season when this one isn't even over yet!" Harley chastised. Solidad smiled apologetically._

_"Of course," she said, glancing toward May and Drew, who were sitting across from each other. "You two still have your big battle tomorrow."_

_Drew stopped stirring._

_"Yeah..." he said, his voice trailing off. May's head perked up at the unusually wistful tone of his voice._

_"What?" she teased. "Are you scared I'm going to beat you?"_

_"Not at all," Drew replied, flicking his hair._

_"Then what's wrong?"_

_"Nothing." Drew shrugged. "Although, I have to admit, while I'm excited by the prospect of crushing you and your Pokémon in tomorrow's battle and earning myself that ribbon cup, I'm ready for it all to be done and over with so 'we' can move forward."_

_Only May was able to catch the double meaning of his statement with his emphasis of the word "we," and she again flushed pink. The implication Drew seemed to be making was that after all this business of the Grand Festival, the time when their rivalry was at its peak, was over, then they could look into pursuing __an actual relationship... an idea to which, especially after her conversation with Dawn and the events following the Maroon City Contest, she was starting to adjust._

_"You know," May began, though she was still a bit flustered, "I am, too."_

She couldn't let such thoughts about romance clutter her mind now. No, not now. Now would be the worst time to let that happen. May flicked her wrist over and checked her watch. Seven minutes left. She sucked in her breath, attempting to calm her senses. It wouldn't do her any good if she went out to battle as a nervous wreck.

"May, just calm down."

The young coordinator's head snapped up.

"Solidad!" May exclaimed, rising to her feet. She honestly hadn't noticed her approaching. "How did you know-?"

"It's pretty easy to tell," Solidad replied, folding her arms and smiling. "The way you're fidgeting." May dropped her hands to her side and looked down at her feet shyly.

"So, what are you doing down here?" the girl asked politely after a long moment. Solidad shrugged.

"I figured you would need some encouragement. Seems that I was right."

"That's not fair to Drew, though," May pointed out. While May admired Solidad and saw her as a sort of mentor, she was aware the experienced coordinator was closer with Drew. They were practically brother and sister. At least, Solidad adored him as though he were a young sibling. She couldn't speak for Drew, but she knew he at least had a profound respect for her.

"Oh, you know Drew. He doesn't need any encouragement, ever," Solidad said, waving her hand dismissively. May couldn't resist a small chuckle at that. It was true; Drew was fairly confident in all his endeavors.

"Besides, I already had a quick chat with him this morning," the pink-haired woman continued. She paused before adding, "I have to admit, this is the first Grand Festival in which I honestly can't cheer for one competitor over the other. I'll be disappointed no matter what the outcome is."

"And happy?" May asked hopefully.

"And happy," Solidad admitted. The stage manager May had met earlier swung by again and gave her a 3-minute warning. May nodded, wringing her hands together nervously and checking to make sure the two Pokéballs attached to her waist were still there.

"May," Solidad admonished, lightly touching the girl's hands as if to ease her, "just breathe. You've worked hard for this. No matter who wins or who loses, you've made it this far and that's an accomplishment in itself." May nodded and exhaled, not realizing she was even holding in her breath.

"Chin up," Solidad continued. "And don't let Drew's eyes distract you." May blinked and immediately turned red.

"Wha-" Before she had time to question Solidad's strange (yet strangely appropriate) advice, the stage manager came by one last time and ushered May toward the stage. The young coordinator glanced back to see Solidad smile knowingly and do a little wave.

Suddenly, May felt her Pokénav buzz in her back pocket. She realized she had forgotten to leave it in her locker. Unable to resist, she snatched the device up to checked her new message. Her throat tightened when she noticed who its sender was: Drew.

_Good luck. You're going to need it._

Something sparked deep within her being: The fire of competition, something Drew had always instilled in her. This time, however, it sprinkled with feelings of deep gratitude for him and for their rivalry. That certainly didn't mean she was going to roll over and let him win, though. She and her Pokémon were going to put up a hell of a fight, too. He would expect no less of her.

Her confidence restored, she dropped her Pokénav back into her pocket and approached the stage with a new resolve.

She was greeted with the overwhelmingly loud cheers of the audience and the blindingly bright lights of the stadium. She quickly adjusted her ears and eyes to the sounds and sights as she stepped onto the main stage. Drew was already waiting for her with his usual winsome smirk plastered on his face. His emerald eyes were striking as always, even from a distance.

She wasn't going to let them throw her off their game, though. She smiled at him, undaunted.

"Blaziken! Wartortle! Take the stage!"

* * *

"_We've just hit the two-minute mark, but the scores are still practically even!_" Adrian exclaimed. "_We've been sea-sawing back and forth with extreme shows of power from both contestants and their Pok__émon. But who will come out on top?_"

"Roserade! Use Magical Leaf!" Drew ordered, minding the clock. He was running out of time to finish this battle up; they both were.

"Blaziken, counter with Fire Spin!" The spiral of flames cut through Roserade's attack and headed toward the grass-type at a breakneck speed.

"Use Flamethrower, Flygon!" Flygon swooped down in front of Roserade protectively an unleashed a powerful inferno that canceled out Blaziken's incoming attack. Drew inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. He knew if that Fire Spin had hit Roserade, she certainly would have been knocked out with all the damage she had taken.

"Now Flygon, use Sandstorm! No holding back!" The dragon-type beat its wings upward before creating a powerful sandstorm that covered nearly the entire field. May gasped. It was a bold move on Drew's part, letting his Pokémon whip up such a massive storm—it would undoubtedly damage his own Pokémon in addition to hers.

The sandstorm consumed both Blaziken and Wartortle, and May had to control her panic once they disappeared from her sight.

Protecting her eyes with her forearm, she cried out, "Blaziken, use Overheat!" Blaziken's flames fused with the storm and turned into a spiraling vortex of both dust and fire. It was quite the sight to behold, and the audience awed its power.

The storm eventually spun out, leaving only two Pokémon standing: Flygon and Blaziken. Roserade and Wartortle were both knocked out-cold. It was a one-on-one battle now.

"_30 seconds_!"

Not one to waste precious time, Drew called out, "Flygon use Steel Wing!"

"Fire Spin, now!"

"Dodge!" Flygon skillfully maneuvered its way out of the flames before coming in sideways and striking the fire-type head-on with its glowing wing. Blaziken was knocked backward, though he managed to stay on his feet and skid across the ground. Ultimately, however, his knees buckled and he collapsed in a heap.

Then: "Blaziken is unable to battle! The victory goes to Drew!"

May's heart fell. It was over.

Strangely, she wasn't upset. Disappointed, yes. But there was also this part of her that was immensely relieved, perhaps even thrilled. She looked up, examining Drew's expression, which was one of complete and utter disbelief.

He'd won.

He was the region's newest Top Coordinator.

May couldn't help but feel proud of him. She'd known him for three years, and she had seen how hard he'd trained. She'd seen how badly he wanted to take that Ribbon Cup home with him, and now he had it.

She smiled coyly when she remembered that now he could have her, too.

Drew made a quick gesture for her to join him at center stage, which she gladly did. She knew the run-down: The winner always shook hands with the loser, and that was all she and Drew intended to do. It was a good show of sportsmanship on both ends, especially after such an intense battle. Furthermore, it would make her own loss a little bit easier to swallow.

_Intended_ is the key word here, however. What happened instead made everything far more complicated:

"You and your Pokémon put up a great fight, May," Drew said, gripping her hand tightly. He had leaned in closely to make sure she could hear him over the exuberant crowd. His voice was warm and sincere, and his breath tickled the side of her cheek, which completely rendered May vulnerable to his charms. Drew continued, "I can honestly say that was the toughest battle I've ever fought." May smiled sweetly when he pulled away, which had a similar but just as powerful effect on him.

"Ditto. Congratulations, you really deserve it," she said, standing up on the tips of her toes and practically pressing her lips to his ear.

Time in the stadium seemed to stop or, at least, slow down dramatically. The grip of their handshake loosened. The wild cheers of the crowd became mere static noise as Drew lifted his hand again and tucked a wayward strand of hair behind her ear. This had happened enough times that May knew what he was doing; yet, she did nothing to stop him. Contrarily, she encouraged it with a shy, but nevertheless consenting smile. Many members of the audience (as well as the viewers who were watching the event on television) noticed the affectionate gesture the victor had shewed upon his rival, but they still would have never guessed what would happen next.

Having received her approval, Drew, now cupping her cheek, leaned in and kissed her fully without a single hint of hesitation. May, unafraid (and not really thinking straight, though neither of them were), happily reciprocated. Her hand secured itself on his left shoulder, which allowed her to actually be the one to deepen the kiss. It wasn't exactly passionate (though passion was definitely an element), but it was full of feelings that had gone unexpressed for far too long.

There was an audible, collective gasp among the audience. And then, silence.

Adrian, who simply couldn't let such an unusual and rather sentimental event in contesting go unannounced, said, "_Well, isn't this a surprise! It seems contestants May and Drew share much more than just a rivalry! I think we're all a little stunned by this new development_."

* * *

Dawn let out a tiny squeal and nearly dropped Piplup to the ground as she slapped her hand over her mouth to cover the sound. She, along with Zoey, Ash, and Brock, were watching the Johto Grand Festival in a Pokémon Center in Brussel Town. Zoey had recently won her fifth ribbon in the Brussel Town Contest, and had stuck around several days longer to watch May compete in the Johto Grand Festival with the others.

"Oh my Mew," the redhead cursed, shaking her head in disbelief. Her voice was pitchy from the shock. "Who was that? Who was that guy who kissed her?"

"That's Drew, her rival," Brock explained, who looked equally surprised.

"Dawn," Zoey began seriously, turning to her friend, "how come she didn't tell us about this guy at the Wallace Cup? I mean—Arceus!" She let out a short laugh. Dawn uncovered her mouth and revealed a sheepish smile.

"She did, briefly," Dawn recalled, "but she didn't know she was in love with him at the time."

"_Was_ in love with him? When did May admit she was in love with him?" Brock asked. "I mean, I kind of always knew they had a thing for each other while we were traveling through Hoenn and Kanto together, but..."

"I talked to her a couple of weeks ago," Dawn confessed, "and she told me _everything_. I knew it was only going to be a matter of time before they showed up in _Coordinator's Weekly_ declaring they were finally a couple... but I certainly didn't expect this!"

"I don't think anyone did," Zoey chuckled. "Well, good for them."

"Wait..." Ash looked to the whole group, confusion occupying his big brown eyes, "... What just happened?"

The group let out a collective sigh.

* * *

"Norman!" Caroline cried out loudly, her eyes glued to the television set in their home. "Norman, come quickly!" May's father, who had left the living room to call his daughter and console her over her tough loss, came stumbling back in with his phone in hand.

"Sweetie, you missed it!" Caroline lamented. Norman raised his eyebrows.

"What? Missed what? Did the judges call a technical error on Drew's part and give the win to May?" he asked hopefully.

"No, but May and Drew were swapping spit on camera," Max replied, making a face. The color from Norman's face drained, and he dropped his phone. He began sputtering incoherent sentences. Oblivious to the scene her husband was making, Caroline went on:

"Oh Norman, our daughter's first kiss..." she sighed. "How adorable! I've always liked that Drew. He seemed like such a gentleman at the hospital!"

"You don't know him in real life, Mom," Max groaned. Norman was still babbling gibberish and Caroline, ignoring her son and husband, sighed dreamily.

"You know, Norman, I bet that kiss is up online," she suddenly said, her expression brightening even further. "Max, go get your laptop. Let's search PokéTube." Max obeyed his mother's command and left the room to retrieve the computer, while Norman finally got ahold of himself.

"W-wait," he stammered, weakly lifting his hand. "It wouldn't be online already, would it?"

"Something as big as Drew Hayden kissing May Maple, yeah it will," Max said as he sauntered back into the living room, his laptop under his arm. "It will probably have at least a thousand hits by now, too, if not more."

Norman Maple was a fairly healthy man who took care to keep in shape and maintain a balanced diet, but he was pretty sure he had a heart attack right then and there.

* * *

"Arceus," Harley cursed under his breath. He was sitting beside Solidad in the coordinator's lounge backstage. Both of their eyes were fixated on the television screen, as were the eyes of the many other losing competitors. "That just happened. That _really_ just happened."

"On national television, no less," Solidad mused. Harley shot her a look.

"Well, I have to admit Solidad, you were right," he sighed. "There _was_ something going on between them. I never thought Drew'd screw up the courage to actually act on their oh-so-obvious young romance..."

"I doubt it was Drew who made the first move."

Harley stared at her incredulously.

"Um, Sol, did you just not see what happened? Drew made the move to kiss May, not the other way around," he reminded.

"Yes," Solidad agreed, "but that was definitely not their first kiss."

"You think?" Harley perked up. Solidad nodded.

"They were _way_ too comfortable with each other up there for that to be the first," she said. "I'm convinced something happened between them at the Maroon City Contest, probably even before then."

"So you honestly think our little bandanna-wearing sugar cookie kissed him first?" Harley asked, still sounding skeptical.

"Probably," Solidad affirmed. "Drew's protective about his feelings and has a pretty tight reign on his emotions. May wears her heart on her sleeve. It wouldn't surprise me if she had slipped up and everything spiraled out of control from there. I'm sure Drew became a lot more eager once it became apparent that she feels the same way he does."

"Huh," Harley intoned. "So what happens now?" Solidad then did something rather uncharacteristic of her personality: She smirked.

"We grab some chairs and popcorn, because the next couple of days are going to be _immensely_ entertaining," she answered.

"No more meddling?" Harley asked as though he were pouting.

"Maybe a little meddling," Solidad conceded.

"Good," Harley grinned, "'cause that's always my favorite part."

_A/N: Oh snap._

_Reviews are always appreciated._


	7. The Kiss That Preceded The Confession

**Seven.** The Kiss That Preceded The Confession

The Blackthorn City Pokémon Center's cafeteria was buzzing with gossip and excited chatter the morning following the Johto Grand Festival. Excitement, of course, always lingered at the end of the festival with the rise of a new Top Coordinator, but this time around was extra special for obvious reasons.

Conversations hushed once Drew entered the room, however, and all eyes fell on him. He ignored their rude stares (though he definitely noticed them and was terribly annoyed; he realized this must of been what May felt like in the weeks following her near-drowing). He brushed through the crowd, passed by the the wondering whispers of where May was and questions of why they weren't at the closing ceremonies last night, and seated himself at the table where both Harley and Solidad were situated.

"Lovely morning," Drew greeted, his voice dripping heavily with sarcasm. He then shot a rather nasty glare at the other cafeteria patrons, and they resumed their normal activities, though many continued to steal quick glances at the trio.

Harley paused just long enough to look up from the magazine he was reading and ask mockingly, "So where's your girlfriend?"

Drew narrowed his eyes. The older coordinator was gloating, and as much as Drew hated to admit it, he had every right to do so. Harley had been teasing him about May for a _very_ long time, and Drew had always managed to disregard his obnoxious remarks. With the passing of yesterday's events, however, he had little power to fight back.

"She's not my girlfriend," Drew retorted.

This time, Solidad was the one to speak up. She lowered her coffee mug from her lips and asked in an incredulous voice, "I'm sorry, are you really stubborn enough to deny-"

"-You didn't let me finish, Solidad," Drew defended calmly. "She's not my girlfriend, _yet_."

"Still need to seal the deal?" Harley asked haughtily. "I thought you would've taken care of that by now."

Drew's lips tightened.

"I _would_ have, but May and I were kind of torn apart by reporters after we went backstage," he explained.

"Can you blame them?" Solidad asked with an amused smile, leaning her chin onto the palm of her hand. "It's not every day that rivals throw themselves at each other after a big battle."

Drew looked a little put-off by Solidad's observation that he and May had "thrown themselves at each other."

"Yeah..." He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. Solidad raised her eyebrows.

"Having some regrets?" she asked. Drew lowered his hand.

"Well, I could do without the attention," he grumbled, shooting another glare at the nosy patrons, "but I can handle it. May's the one I'm worried about. She flipped when that story about her near-drowning came out last month."

"That so?" Harley asked. Drew nodded. Harley continued, "Well, I'm sure she'll _love_ this then." He closed his magazine—the latest issue of _Coordinator's Weekly_—and slid it across the table toward Drew. The young coordinator's face paled slightly upon seeing the cover: an excellent shot of his and May's rather famous on-stage kiss with the headline "Rivals?" emblazoned in big, bold letters at the top.

"I think your definition of love is skewed," Drew coughed as he flipped the magazine open to read the story. "Arceus, I really screwed up. May's going to be furious. She's already embarrassed; she's been hiding out in her room since yesterday."

"She kissed you back," Solidad pointed out. Drew stopped and slowly brought his eyes up to hers, staring.

"What?" Solidad asked. Drew sighed and shook his head.

"This is so uncomfortable for me on so many levels," he moaned. "I can't believe I'm actually discussing this with you two."

"Hunny, you opened yourself up for discussion on a national level when you planted one on your rival in front of the cameras," Harley reminded. Drew glowered at him while Solidad suppressed a chuckle.

"He has an excellent point there, Drew," she said. "You kind of brought this upon yourself."

"Yeah, I know," the young coordinator admitted begrudgingly. He paused before adding in an uncharacteristically wistful tone, "It's just... I don't know, when we were there at center stage together and she was smiling and looking at me like..." He stopped short, unwilling to divulge any more details about that moment lest he say something too personal.

"... I just wasn't thinking straight," Drew concluded. Solidad watched him carefully as he said this, and once he'd finished, she pushed her drink away and folded her arms.

"My apologies, I know you hate hearing advice from others," she prefaced, "but if you're really worried about May and want to correct the situation, the first thing you should do is go talk to her. It's only causing more gossip that you two aren't together right now. If people see you and May out and about, they'll eventually grow used to the idea of you two being a couple and leave you alone. That's what you want, isn't it?"

Drew nodded.

Solidad continued, "Then I would suggest that you head upstairs to her room and do it now. Actually, if you could get her _out_ of her room to do it, that would be even better."

"And give _Coordinator's Weekly_ more DAML fodder? No thanks," Drew replied, flicking his hair. Solidad's calm expression contorted into one of confusion.

"DAML?" she inquired.

"That's what they're calling it now," Harley explained, snatching the magazine out of Drew's reach and pointing to a text box at the bottom of the page. "It stands for _Drew and May Love_." Solidad blinked before she started laughing.

"Mew," she swore aloud.

"It's not funny, Solidad," Drew growled.

"It's a little funny," she refuted. Drew let out a hissing sigh and Solidad calmed down before continuing, "OK, I get it, I'm sorry."

"You're not sorry," Drew protested.

"You're right, I'm not," Solidad humored. "Anyway... It's all about that concept of desensitizing people. Yes, if you and May go out in public, it'll get a lot of coverage. But that's the consequence of kissing her in front of thousands of people. It's like I said, though, people will eventually stop caring if you're not afraid to hide the fact that, yes, you two are indeed dating. Now's an excellent opportunity. The spotlight's on you as the new Top Coordinator anyway, so take advantage of it while you can."

Drew was silent for a moment, considering her proposition.

"All right, I'll do it if May's willing," he finally gave in.

"Good. And..." She smiled again, though this time she looked rather sly. "... If you're ready, a little walk through the park tonight might be the perfect chance to tell May you love her. It's quite the romantic atmosphere for a girl her age."

Drew flushed pink, but said, "Solidad, I've only kissed her once."

"I think you and I both know that's a lie," she responded smoothly. Now Drew was red, and Harley was smirking again.

"I'll see you guys around," he spat out in anger and embarrassment, rising to his feet before making a hasty exit.

Once he had disappeared, Harley burst out laughing. Solidad joined in with a couple of chuckles of her own.

"Arceus, I don't think I've ever seen that kid blush like that!" he exclaimed, grinning.

"I know." Solidad hid a widening smile with her hand. "I kind of feel bad. I normally don't give Drew trouble like this. I'll have to apologize later."

"Oh, don't apologize," Harley said, waving his hand dismissively. "I don't feel sorry for him at all. It's his own fault he and May are in this mess."

"May's not entirely blameless either, but yes, Drew probably should have waited until they were alone," Solidad corrected. "I'm just curious to see how they'll dig themselves out of it... Drew's dealt with unwanted attention before, but not quite on this level. And now he has May to think about, too."

"Well, I'm sure whatever happens, we'll read about it in next week's issue," Harley said, tapping on his copy of _Coordinator's Weekly_.

"Or we could just get May to tell us first-hand."

"Or spy."

"That too."

* * *

May was mortified. No, she was more than mortified. There was no word in the English language to describe how utterly embarrassed she was.

She had been locked up in her room in the Pokémon Center since the end of the Grand Festival. The reason: Every time she tried to leave, she was swamped by hordes of reporters demanding to know about the nature of her and rival Drew Hayden's relationship. May always dodged the question with a simple, "No comment," but the attention was nevertheless overwhelming. So overwhelming, in fact, that May had no choice but to stay in her room until the excitement died down.

Yet, even in the confines of the small bedroom, May wasn't safe from attention. Her Pokénav had been flooded with countless phone calls and text messages from family ("Oh May, why didn't you tell me you and Drew were dating? I always knew there was something going on between you two!" her mother cooed during their video conversation. Max simply sent her message saying, "Gross." May had yet to hear from her father, but according to Caroline, he was coping well with it. May seriously doubted that), friends (Misty sent her a text message reading, "So who's your new green-haired boyfriend?" while Dawn screamed gleefully into the receiver when May picked up. Ash rambled mostly about what a great battle it was, without ever mentioning the kiss. May was sort of thankful for that. Brock made May promise to never let Drew treat her badly, and then lamented about how he couldn't get a girlfriend. Zoey had sent several teasing messages, but wished her well nevertheless), and former competition ("I'm so happy for you and Mr. Drew!" Brianna said, though May detected a hint of sadness in her voice. May had also heard from Kelly, Timmy, Savannah, and Grace, among many others).

May, of course, had to explain to all these people that she and Drew weren't together yet, to which nearly all expressed utter disbelief.

"Seriously, how can you two _not_ be dating after that?" Dawn had asked.

"It's not that we aren't _ever_ going to be together," May explained. "It's just, well, we haven't gotten a chance to talk to each other about it yet. We got separated backstage, and I haven't left my room since yesterday evening. It'll happen ... eventually, I think."

"Well, you should probably start talking," Dawn laughed. "_Coordinator's Weekly_ printed a special issue this morning. You're on the front cover again."

"_What_?"

After their conversation ended, May sent her Skitty with a pouch of money and a note to retrieve the newest issue of the magazine. Aside from how completely humiliating it was for May to see herself and Drew pressed up against one another on one of Pokémon world's most popular magazines, she felt terribly guilty. Her and Drew's unexpected on-stage intimacy had completely overshadowed the fact he won the Grand Festival and was the Johto region's newest Top Coordinator. May read through the article multiple times (it wasn't as if she had much else to do), and his victory had only been mentioned in passing_ once_.

May sighed and cast the magazine off to the side before falling back on her bed.

What a mess. She really wished she could just call Drew right now and talk to him, but she was at such a loss of what to say or do, she backed out every time she was about to dial his number. She hoped Drew would be the one to reach out and get in contact with her, but he had yet to do so. May was beginning to worry she was wrong and that he wasn't truly interested in her.

In a moment of weakness, with all the pressure she was under with her and Drew's blossoming romance, May suddenly found herself blinking back hot tears. She rolled over to her side and let them slip down her face, not bothering to brush them away. She couldn't deny it any longer: She had fallen in love with her rival. Her arrogant, jerk-faced rival. She could hardly believe it, but it was actually to the point where the thought of _not_ being with him tore her apart.

Maybe the best thing to do was to sleep it off. If there was one thing she was good at, it was sleeping. She didn't even have to be tired; she could just close her eyes, push out invading thoughts, and lose touch with reality.

Which is exactly what she did.

She woke up far later than she expected. She glanced out her window to see that the sky was a couple of shades darker than it was that morning. Not quite enough to be nighttime, but the sun had nevertheless disappeared out of immediate sight.

May then noticed the rose on her table, with a little note tied to its thornless stem. She lost her breath for a moment. This was the reach for communication she had been hoping for. She careless ripped the note off and read it to herself:

"_Call me when you wake up_."

It wasn't signed, but its sender was obvious. If not for the rose, she would've recognized the author from the unmistakable scrawl of messy cursive. May scrambled for her Pokénav and, gathering up all her courage, dialed his number the umpteenth time that day and pressed "send."

It didn't take long for Drew to pick up, but before she could even wedge in a greeting, he said, "May, just open your door. Oh, wait, nevermind. It isn't locked."

Her bedroom door then swung open, and there he stood, his own Pokénav in hand. He flicked on the light switch and ended the call, dropping the device into his back pocket. May did the same.

"How did you know it was unlocked?" she asked, a little incredulous. Talk about quick delivery.

"Well, that rose didn't get here by itself," he smirked. "I would've given it to you while you were conscious, but I couldn't wake you up."

Suddenly feeling a little more playful and confident, May quipped, "Why? Is my sleeping form too beautiful to disturb?" He scoffed.

"Don't flatter yourself, May," he replied. "I literally couldn't wake you up. You were _out_. So long, in fact, that I was just on my way back to see whether you were still sleeping or if you were just ignoring me."

She laughed nervously and looked down at her feet, shuffling them around uncomfortably.

"I was... I was actually worried you were ignoring me," she confessed quietly. Drew's expression turned somber and her approached her cautiously, brushing his hand down her cheek. May looked back up at him and smiled shyly. There was a part of her that honestly couldn't believe what was happening right now. That she was here, that she felt this way about someone who took immense pleasure in mercilessly teasing her (and probably still did).

"You'd seriously think that after everything that's happened?" he asked gently, though still a manner that was very Drew-like. "We're a trending topic on every major social media network and search engine right now."

"Really?" May forced a laugh. She'd actually been avoiding the Internet today for fear of what she could find.

"Turns out that we're a really big deal." Drew dropped his hand to flick his hair. "I mean, I've always been a big deal, but this is new."

"Well, no one ever expected that the ever-elusive Drew Hayden would actually..." Her voice trailed off and her cheeks turned pink. She was unsure of how to finish that statement without risking getting hurt. She wanted to say "love someone," but she feared that may just be wishful thinking.

"... Right," Drew agreed. He paused before asking, "Would you like to go for a walk?" May's head snapped up.

"A walk?" she inquired.

"Yeah, you know, moving your feet from place to place, viewing the scenery, enjoying your company," Drew prattled, smirking.

"Thank you, I know what a walk is," May grumbled. "It's just... There's people out there."

"A shocking observation, May," he rolled his eyes. "I know there's the cliché that when you're with that one person you just can't get enough of—in other words, me—you tend to forget there are other people in the world, but this is taking it a bit far, don't you think?"

"You're insufferable."

"And you adore me for it."

"Unfortunately." May sighed. "You know I'm talking about the press." Drew's smirk lessened.

"Yeah... Well, Solidad seems to be under the impression that if we're open about our... relationship," Drew said the word carefully, "then they'll eventually get bored and move on."

"That," May paused, choosing her words carefully, "actually makes sense. OK." Drew's eyebrows shot up; he hadn't expected her to agree so easily. He was thinking he was going to have to coax her into it, tell her that the Meowth was already out of the bag so they might as well not hide it anymore.

"All right then," he said, resolved. His hand reached for hers, and their fingers gently laced through one another, forming a tight lock. He lead her to the door and shut off the light once again. May's breath caught in her throat when she realized that she and Drew would actually be out in public, holding hands, as if they were an item.

Weren't they, though?

She supposed that would be something they would talk about on their little walk.

The stares they received were unbearable. People stopped on the street to look at them, and whisper and giggle to their friends. A few even whipped out their cameras to snap a photo or two, which undoubtedly would either be posted online or submitted to _Coordinator's Weekly_ for a chance at monetary compensation.

Sensing her discomfort, Drew leaned in and, pressing his lips gently against her upper jawline, murmured, "Just ignore them, May." She felt like her skin was burning in the place where he had touched her. As much as she despised all this unwanted attention, this was what ultimately made it worth it: him. Just having him. The thought was strange, but it made her fuzzy inside.

"Can we... Can we stop for a moment?" she asked breathlessly after he pulled away. "Just for a moment. So we can sit down."

Drew shrugged.

"Sure," he agreed.

They sat on the edge of a public water fountain. Night had finally fallen, and the sky had turned pitch-black, but the pair wasn't without sight. Aqua lights in the fountain gave the water an ominous blue and purple illumination, which made for an undeniably romantic atmosphere. May couldn't help but suspect that perhaps Drew, who still had his hand wrapped around hers, had planned this moment. It seemed silly, perhaps even a little cheesy, but she ate that sort of thing up, and he knew it.

"May, before you say anything..." He was being completely genuine with her right then, and she could tell. It was sort of nerve-wracking. "... I wanted to apologize for yesterday."

"Apologize?" she posed the question carefully. She hated to think that perhaps he was going to say that it was a mistake, that it was _all_ a mistake. She suddenly found her own fears ironic: several months ago, she wanted to pass off their first kiss as a mistake. Now she dreaded the thought.

"Yes," Drew affirmed. "I know you really hate this attention. I'm not exactly a fan myself, but I'm the cause of it all so I can't complain. I know 'sorry' doesn't even cover it in this situation. I messed up, and I dragged you into it."

"You're actually admitting to making a mistake?" she jested.

"They're few and far between, but yes, they do happen," he said. "Even I'm not perfect." May couldn't help but grin. Oh, but he was perfect. OK, no he wasn't. But he was perfect in the sense that she didn't want a single thing about him to change. Cockiness and all. His flaws were a part of his appeal.

"As much as I appreciate your apology, I can't accept it," she began calmly, "because I'm just as much at fault as you are."

"I was the one who kissed you," he reminded.

"If you hadn't, I probably would have," May protested, recalling her own thoughts after their handshake. She'd _wanted_ him to kiss her; at the time, she didn't care that they had a live audience of ten-thousand people. He just happened to be the one to lose control of his emotions first.

"That so?" He had moved in a little closer to her, which she was very welcoming of.

"More than likely," she replied. She bravely tilted her head up and kissed him to prove her point. She wanted him to understand that, despite her distaste for the unwanted stares and gossiping of others, it was worth it. More importantly, she wanted him to understand that he had become much more than just a rival to her since their first romantic encounter in Ecruteak City. She could only plead to Arceus that he felt the same. He apparently did, as she felt his hand distinctly tighten around hers with pleasure the moment her lips touched his.

"So where does this put us?" Drew asked, being the first to break away. May tilted her head.

"What do you mean?" she asked. He dropped her hand for a brief moment.

"Well, let's see, you an I have kissed each other one, two, three, four, five, six times—seven if you count the time I resuscitated you, though I don't because you were unconscious and I was merely trying to save your life—and yet I have no idea where we stand. I've been trying to figure that out for several months now." He paused before adding, "Do you remember what I said after the Ecruteak Contest? About that first kiss throwing me off my game? I wasn't lying. I have to admit, May, you're the first person I've ever met who can do that."

"Not even Solidad?"

"Solidad's tricky, but she and you are on different planes of existence," he explained. "She's a fantastic rival and friend, and you are, too, but at the same time you're ... the girl I'm in love with."

May swore her heart stopped, even if for just a second. Because, _holy Mew_, did Drew actually just say that? She was tempted to pinch herself, just to check whether she was dreaming or not.

"I-" Her words died off, and it seemed as though her voice disappeared. Which was fine, actually, because Drew apparently had more to say. His hand reconnected with hers, and he made absolutely sure he had her eyes on his before he spoke again.

"May, I love you," he said in the most grave tone possible. "I don't how or when or why I fell for a girl as dense as you are, but I did. And, I know it's messy business being in love with your rival. I mean, for Arceus' sake, we've gone viral on PokéTube. And there's probably someone in the bushes recording this conversation right now. But I'm willing to deal with all of that if means being with you."

"I-" Once again, May's word fell short. She, however, had to bite down a grin that was prepared to spread across her face. "I'm sorry, this is just really..." She took in a deep breath. "I love you, too. And I'm willing to put up with all those things as well."

"So... We are now officially together?' Drew asked, just for his own clarification. May smiled and nodded coyly.

"All right," he began, straightening up as he spoke, though he was smiling too, almost as if he was relieved. "I suppose we should set some ground rules then."

"Ground rules?" May asked, sounding a little suspicious.

"You may be my girlfriend now, but you're still my rival and I will still greatly enjoy repeatedly defeating you and your Pokémon in battle like how I did yesterday," he explained. May resisted the urge to roll her eyes. What else did she expect though? Drew would still be the same old stuck-up Drew, even if they had just professed their love for one another.

He went on, "If we're really going to do this, we need to agree that when it comes to contests and battling, we're just rivals, nothing more. I won't ever go easy on you, and you won't ever go easy on me, despite whatever... feelings we may have."

"I think that's fair," May agreed. "And what about outside of contests and battling?" Drew smile turned into a smirk and he flicked his hair again.

"_That_," he began, "is our personal life and we are free to do whatever we please." May could hardly contain the silly grin that was spreading across her face.

"Excellent," she said, inclining her head toward him once again. He gladly closed the space between them, leading into their first kiss as an actual couple. It didn't have the chance to last long, however, before two very familiar faces came by to so kindly interrupt them.

"Well, lookie here," Harley mocked, "our little Drewsie and May are all grown up and in a real relationship." The pair of young coordinators hastily pulled away from each other. Drew appeared rather irked while May was looking down at her feet, embarrassed they had been caught.

"A little privacy would be appreciated, Harley." Drew's arm wrapped his arm around May's waist protectively, pulling her closer to him.

"Oh, it's not like it's anything we haven't seen before," Harley teased.

"Come on, Harley, let them be," Solidad admonished, folding her arms. "By the way, congratulations you two."

"T-Thanks Solidad," May stammered. What else was she supposed to say? "Um... How did you guys know we were here?"

The pink-haired coordinator shrugged.

"There were a couple of photographers stalking around the area. Harley and I figured something was up."

"Photographers," May repeated aloud, casting a careful glance at Drew.

"We were on our way to get some food, if you're interested in coming along," Harley offered. "Another family outing!"

Drew, who had noticed May's pleading gaze, sighed and said, "Well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt." He stood up along with May, their hands interlocking once again as they set off with their fellow coordinators. Harley wriggled an eyebrow at Solidad, who let out a small chuckle in response.

"Oh!" the purple-haired man exclaimed suddenly, as if he'd just remembered something. "I suppose now that the festival's over, we can start discussing where we're headed for the next coordinating season! I'm thinking Sinnoh."

"For the Super Contests?" May inquired. "You know you have to dress up for those, right?"

"Girl, you _know_ I'm all about dressing up!" Harley sassed.

"We noticed," Drew droned, which elicited a quiet laugh out of May.

"I think Sinnoh sounds interesting," Solidad said wistfully. "To be honest, I've been interested in trying out a Super Contest since we watched May perform in the Wallace Cup."

"Exactly," Harley agreed. "They just have so much more pizzazz and drama! And we're going to need a _lot_ of more drama to fill in the space that used to be the will-they-or-will-they-not aspect of the May and Drew show."

May let out a nervous laugh and Drew groaned, irked by Harley's usual annoying remarks. Solidad, meanwhile, smiled knowingly when she saw Drew's grip on May's hand visibly tighten. As his thumb began to affectionately run over each of her fingers individually, she began to wonder: just _how many_ kisses had lead up to that big one at the Grand Festival yesterday?

She'd have to finagle that information out of one of them, later.

**Fin.**

* * *

_A/N: You guys are literally the best. Thank you so much for your sweet words and critical reviews, which are my drive to continue writing. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it._

_There is no sequel in the works for this. An epilogue is possible if I can manage to develop something. However, the end of this story means I get to put special focus on something big I've been working on for a while now. And, of course, I'm always open for requests if you'd like to send me a PM. I will write nearly anything that isn't AU or smut, so don't be afraid to ask!_

_Once again, thank you for all your support!_


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